{"id":470180,"date":"2026-03-11T19:26:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T19:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/470180\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T19:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T19:26:09","slug":"dragons-den-how-easy-would-it-actually-be-to-copy-the-glawning-design-trademark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/470180\/","title":{"rendered":"Dragons’ Den – How Easy Would It Actually Be To Copy The Glawning Design? – Trademark"},"content":{"rendered":"

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MC<\/p>\n

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Marks & Clerk<\/p>\n


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More<\/p>\n


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\n \"Marks
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\nMarks & Clerk is one of the UK\u2019s foremost firms of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys. Our attorneys and solicitors are wired directly into the UK\u2019s leading business and innovation economies. Alongside this we have offices in 9 international locations covering the EU, Canada and Asia, meaning we offer clients the best possible service locally, nationally and internationally. <\/p>\n

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\n I will admit I’m a bit late catching up on last week’s episode of Dragons’ Den. \n <\/p>\n


\n United Kingdom
\n Intellectual Property \n <\/p>\n


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I will admit I’m a bit late catching up on last week’s
\nepisode of Dragons’ Den. I’ve watched the show for years
\n(usually as a double bill on a Thursday before The Apprentice) and
\nsince becoming an attorney, my ears always prick up when they start
\ndiscussing IP protection.<\/p>\n

Over the last 18 months I’ve expanded my designs practice,
\nso I was interested to hear the discussion around registered design
\nprotection for the Glawning product on last week’s episode. In
\nparticular, the comment that one of the Dragons could “pick up
\nthe phone to China and have them in [their] warehouse in 12
\nweeks” caught my attention.<\/p>\n

Whilst it is true that they could do this, whether this Dragon
\ncould get away with selling them is another matter. Glawning have a
\nnumber of registered designs in the UK in relation to their
\ncampervan awning product and, whilst some of these are narrower in
\nthe sense that they are limited by the specific materials shown in
\nthe design images, the business does own a broader line drawing
\nregistration for the shape of the awning and tent.<\/p>\n

I haven’t gone as far as to run a prior art search to fully
\nassess the novelty of this design but, if we assume that it is
\nnovel, then the Dragon in question would likely face difficulties
\nselling the identical product in the UK market given the existence
\nof these design rights and indeed, a blog post<\/a> from Glawning themselves indicates
\nthat they have had disputes with third parties trying to replicate
\ntheir product. Glawning could also record their design rights with
\nBorder Force authorities by way of an AFA (Application For Action)
\nto try to prevent the importation of infringing goods into the UK
\nin the first place.<\/p>\n

Design registrations can sometimes be overlooked in favour of
\npatents or trade marks, but designs are often quicker and less
\ncostly to obtain (certainly compared to a patent). They can also be
\na useful weapon in the fight against copycat products – just take
\nMarks & Spencer’s victory<\/a> against Aldi’s copycat light-up
\ngin bottle as an example.<\/p>\n

So to summarise, don’t be put off by the apparent dismissal
\nof design registrations by the Dragons (and according to Glawning,
\nthere was some off-camera debate on the topic that wasn’t shown
\nin the final edit). These rights can be incredibly valuable to
\nbusinesses of all sizes when defending against competitors or
\nlookalikes.<\/p>\n

The content of this article is intended to provide a general
\nguide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
\nabout your specific circumstances.<\/p>\n

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