DESIGN + COPYRIGHT
Creativity deserves protection
Copyright doesn’t protect ideas. It protects the way you express and shape your original thinking — the originality behind what you write, design, and build.
From software and technical documentation to product packaging, training materials and marketing content, we help clients identify and secure the creative outputs that drive their business.
We also advise on registered design rights, which protect the look and feel of your products — including shape, configuration, pattern, and ornamentation — in a way that supports their commercial value.
Design Rights
Design rights protect how a product looks—its shape, contours, colours, and overall visual appeal. From packaging to product design, securing the right protection helps safeguard originality and strengthen market position.Our trademark team provides clients with practical support at every step, from clearance searches and applications to oppositions, enforcement, and licensing. We take the time to understand your goals, your market, and your competitors, so we can build protection strategies that match how you actually operate.
Registered Designs
At PURDYLUCEY, we guide clients through the full lifecycle of registered design protection—filing, prosecution, and renewals. In Ireland, protection lasts up to 25 years, with renewal every five years. We also handle Community Design Registrations (CDRs) via the EUIPO, offering EU-wide coverage under a single application.
Unregistered Designs
Unregistered design rights arise automatically when a design is made public in the EU. While limited to three years of protection, they can be a useful option for short-term or seasonal products. We help clients assess when to rely on unregistered rights and when to invest in formal registration.
Everyday assets, long-term value
When it comes to copyright and design rights, assumptions can lead to costly mistakes. Questions around authorship, ownership, licensing and infringement can become complex—particularly in collaborative or commercial settings. Our attorneys work with founders, in-house teams, designers and content creators to untangle rights, safeguard originality, and ensure that creative assets are used and monetised in line with your goals.
Clear, practical advice for fast-moving businesses
Design and copyright law continue to evolve — especially in the context of AI tools, digital platforms, and global content sharing. At PURDYLUCEY, we provide responsive, plain-English guidance grounded in real-world use. We collaborate with in-house teams, creatives, and technical experts to deliver legal protection that fits your industry, your product, and your plans for growth.
THE TEAM
Our Design + Copyright Experts
“We especially appreciate their practicality.”
“We especially appreciate their practicality. The team has excellent domain knowledge and the capacity to moderate deep technical discussions across a global team of scientists. I have the utmost confidence that their filings are robust and a real commercial asset.”
Managing IP - IP STARS
“Mark offers clear, practical and concise advice on several areas of IP.”
“Mark offers clear, practical and concise advice on several areas of IP, including the more technical and complicated aspects thereof. The contribution Mark has made to the Law Society courses was so welcome that we are delighted to have him on board for all our upcoming IP and technology-related courses, both this year and next.”
Helen Johnson, Barrister
“Providing excellent advice to patrons across sectors.”
“Life sciences expert Susanne Cahill holds a PhD in molecular pathology and boasts extensive IP experience. Providing excellent advice to patrons across sectors, she works superbly across multiple jurisdictions.”
IAM Patent 1000
“The team truly understand how patent examiners think.”
“PURDYLUCEY hosts a variety of excellent patent professionals across diverse technical expertise. The team truly understand how patent examiners think and provide real added value to clients.”
IAM Patent 1000
“Exemplary lateral thinking generates novel concepts and successful strategies.”
PURDYLUCEY has been ‘warmly endorsed’ and is described by IAM as a firm that has secured ”a remarkably strong foothold” in the prosecution market, thanks to its bright practitioners.
IAM Patent 1000
“A safe pair of hands.”
“Barry Purdy handles a lot of our patent cases. We find he is a safe pair of hands, picks up technologies quickly and offers succinct and commercially relevant IP advice to ourselves and our spin-out companies.”
Managing IP - IP STARS
“Barry Purdy is a leading practitioner in the market.”
“Barry Purdy is a leading practitioner in the market. Patrons appreciate his first-class patent drafting skills and his commitment to securing positive client outcomes. The thoroughness and professionalism of his work is unmatched, and working with him is a pleasure.”
IAM Patent 1000
“We value the access to skilled individuals who manage all aspects of our IP portfolio.”
Managing IP - IP STARS
“Michael Lucey faultlessly manages the filings and renewal of patent applications.”
“Michael Lucey faultlessly manages the filings and renewal of patent applications. He quickly gets to grips with new technologies, showing his adaptability and determination. He is well respected for his expertise, practicality and business-oriented approach.”
IAM Patent 1000
“Their reputation among clients and peers speaks for itself.”
“It’s no surprise PURDYLUCEY were named one of Europe’s Leading Patent Law Firms by the Financial Times — their reputation among clients and peers speaks for itself.”
Managing IP - IP STARS
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Attention to detail and a resolutely commercial focus