27/03/2025
The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has recently released its report on technology trends in the future of transportation. The report includes a dedicated section exploring transportation related registered designs, highlighting the growing role that registered designs play in the IP strategy of companies in the highly competitive transportation sector- particularly automobile manufacturers.
Registered Designs and the Transportation Sector
Before we get into some of the detail of the statistics and trends identified in the WIPO report, it is helpful to remind ourselves what registered designs are and the role they can play in an IP strategy.
Registered designs (also known as industrial designs) protect the appearance of new products. What qualifies as a new product – therefore what can be protected by a registered design – varies across the world, from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
For example, from 1 May 2025, registered designs in the EU can explicitly protect the likes of animations and digital goods. In contrast, in the UK, securing registered design protection for such products can be more challenging.
In the transportation sector, registered designs have traditionally been used to protect whole vehicle designs. While potentially useful in combatting the sale of direct copies, these whole vehicle registered designs include a lot of visual features. Consequently, proving registered design infringement of a whole vehicle registered design can be difficult because a substantial number of the features would need to be copied by a potential infringer.
In many countries registered design law also allows for protection of partial designs. These partial designs allow for the applicant to disclaim certain features of a whole design from protection. Partial designs are helpful because design protection can be limited to aspects, sections or components of a whole design, which can make it easier to pursue potential infringers.
Partial designs are particularly valuable in the transport sector, where manufacturers can protect key design features such as lighting, grilles, front and/or rear ends, seating, or centre consoles.
As registered design law evolves in line with advances in technology, an increasing number of registered designs are being filed for design features such as animations, light sequences and graphical user interfaces (GUIs).
More broadly, registered designs are being used to protect the design of important brand-related elements such as graphic symbols, surface decoration and typefaces.
The WIPO Report – Registration Trends, Key Jurisdictions and Top Filers
In most jurisdictions, applicants must indicate the category of their registered design using the Locarno classification. This classification system helps to facilitate searching of published registered designs and, in most countries, it does not limit the scope of protection of the registered design.
The report from WIPO focusses specifically on registered designs filed in Locarno class 12, which broadly covers “means for transporting and lifting” -including vehicle related registered designs across Land, Sea, Air, Space and others.
Registration Trends
WIPO reports an increase in the number of transportation related designs being registered, with a mean annualised growth rate of +1.4% between 2014 and 2023.
- Between 2014 and 2020, transportation related design registrations grew relatively quickly from 28,111 to 43,217 (+54%).
- 2021 saw a drop due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic taking hold
- 2022 saw a resurgence back up to a similar level as 2020.
- In 2023 the number of designs registered fell significantly. WIPO notes that this drop in registrations may indicate “a recent shift in industry focus”, though it is too early to draw firm conclusions.
Registration trends of transportation-related industrial designs 2014-2023. Source: WIPO (2025). WIPO Technology Trends Report 2025: The Future of Transportation. Geneva: World Intellectual Property Organization. DOI:10.34667/tind.57963
Key Jurisdictions
In terms of where transportation related registered designs are being filed, WIPO reports that, as with trade marks, China dominates, with 215,861 transportation related registered designs being filed between 2014 and 2023.
Other transportation manufacturing bases are also represented in the top filing jurisdictions:
- the EU: 47,923
- the US: 27,873
- the Republic of Korea: 20,197
- Germany: 12,669
- Japan: 12,529
It would be interesting to drill down on what proportion of the registered designs filed China were also filed in other countries, as a broader filing programme is usually a good indicator of the strength and value of a registered design.
Protection jurisdictions of transportation-related industrial designs 2014-2023. Source: WIPO (2025). WIPO Technology Trends Report 2025: The Future of Transportation. Geneva: World Intellectual Property Organization. DOI:10.34667/tind.57963
Top Filers
As for who is filing transportation related registered designs, the top filers are all in the automotive sector. Nine of the top ten filers are companies which manufacture automobiles, while the only non-automobile manufacturer, CITIC Dicastal, manufactures wheels for automobiles.
Despite the rapid growth of the likes of BYD and Tesla over the past decade, the top filer list still largely comprises more traditional automotive companies, such Honda, Toyota and Ford.
Interestingly, although seven of the top ten filers are based in Asia (including the top six), only two are Chinese companies, despite China being overwhelmingly the top filing jurisdiction (discussed above). The WIPO report does not address this point.
Top owners of transportation-related industrial designs 2014-2023. Source: WIPO (2025). WIPO Technology Trends Report 2025: The Future of Transportation. Geneva: World Intellectual Property Organization. DOI:10.34667/tind.57963
Summary
A well-designed vehicle combines both form and function. While patents protect the function of a vehicle, its form can be protected by registered designs, and its brand identity protected by trade marks. Therefore, a comprehensive IP strategy for a company in the transportation sector should integrate all three forms of intellectual property protection.
WIPO’s latest report shows that over the last ten years, registered design protection has become increasingly important to companies in the transportation sector, particularly to automobile manufacturers. The findings in the report suggest that IP strategies in the transportation sector are becoming more sophisticated and are moving beyond just filing patent applications.
At Reddie & Grose LLP, we have a wealth of experience in registered designs. Please reach out for expert advice on safeguarding your designs and also your innovations and brands
This article is for general information only. Its content is not a statement of the law on any subject and does not constitute advice. Please contact Reddie & Grose LLP for advice before taking any action in reliance on it.
