COVID-19 pandemic has not reduced the interest in obtaining industrial property protection among Polish applicants. A change occurred only with respect to the projects under protection – there is now a noticeable increase in textiles, packaging and dispensers. Changes in design are caused by the emergence of new needs, which are followed by proposals for new solutions. An excellent example of solving new problems using new technologies includes a protective mask made of biodegradable polylactide, developed by the team led by Prof. Izabella Krucińska from the Faculty of Materials Technology and Textile Design of the Technical University of Łódź. A special filter traps up to 95 per cent of impurities and pathogens, and the innovative and environmentally friendly masks decompose after just 6 weeks. Design is also the language of communication. It allows to promote environmentally friendly attitudes, thus making it possible to shape behaviour through good design. The greatness of the Polish design is due to the particularly high potential of the industrial design personnel, notes Deputy Minister Robert Tomanek.

He adds: We know the importance of the role played by design in strengthening competitive advantage. That is why design has been identified as one of the National Intelligent Specialisations. Significant funds have been allocated to activities related to its development, including in programmes such as “Design for Entrepreneurs – Accessibility Plus” or “Protection of Industrial Property” and a number others, including those covering research and development. Currently, the programme implemented by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development “Formula for Competition” is still in progress. I highly encourage all SME entrepreneurs to participate.

A better system for the selection of industrial property

Design is strongly connected with the green economy. Experts point out that when creating new products, designers should be guided by the principles of sustainability and eco-design, offering products that are ecological and modern while taking into account our social needs. In this context, in 2020 European Commission noted the need to modernise the system of industrial design protection, in particular in the context of explicitly extending such protection to new industrial designs, including animated designs and graphical user interfaces. The lack of clarity about the scope of protection of these solutions causes difficulties not only in obtaining these rights but also in their execution. The Polish Patent Office has identified a similar challenge and, together with the Ministry of Economic Development, Labour and Technology, has taken steps in parallel with the Commission to address these difficulties. A draft of a new act – Industrial Property Law – is being developed in the Ministry of Economic Development and Labour which aims to introduce a transparent and user-friendly system of industrial property protection, including design. The proposed solutions address the question of regulating the legal situation of new industrial designs, as well as procedural issues, such as supplementing the possibility of presenting an illustration of the design with a form of computer visualisation.