By disclosure within the territory of the EU, an unregistered design will be protected for a three-year period; this applies only to an instance of copying.

Some unregistered designs may be protected according to other IPR regulations, such as:

• The Copyright Act - if the design is considered a copyright-protected "work"
• The Trademark Act - if the design has trademark protection
• The Marketing Act - if a competitor uses the design or a similar design outside good faith