Register a patent, a design or a work: protect your creation

There is no single registry that covers everything you create: each type of creation is protected by a different figure and before a different body. Choosing correctly is the most important thing, because the same creation may need several at the same time.

As a quick rule: if you have invented something that works (a device, a mechanism, a procedure), you need a patent or a utility model; if what you contribute is the appearance of a product (its shape, lines or texture), an industrial design; if you have written, composed, designed or programmed a work, intellectual property (copyright); and if you want to secure your name on the Internet, a .es domain. A commercial name or logo is also protected with a trademark.

The table of figures included below summarises what each one protects, its regulation, its duration and its territorial scope.

A patent protects new inventions, with inventive step and industrial application, whether they are products or procedures. It grants an exclusive exploitation right for 20 non-extendable years from the application date, in exchange for publishing the invention. Ley 24/2015 (the Spanish Patents Act) requires a substantive examination (state of the art report and substantive examination) before granting it, making it the most solid and also the most demanding protection.

A utility model protects less complex inventions: those that give an object a configuration, structure or composition from which a practical advantage is derived. It lasts for 10 non-extendable years, is granted faster and costs less, because it is not subject to an ex officio substantive examination (there is only an opposition period). It is ideal for technical improvements to tools, utensils or devices.

A common and decisive requirement is that the invention must be new on a global scale. If you disclose it (at a fair, on social media or on a website) before applying, it loses its novelty and you will no longer be able to protect it. That is why you should apply before showing it. Managora carries out the background search, drafts the specification and claims and submits the application for you.

An industrial design protects the appearance of the whole or a part of a product: its shape, lines, contours, colours, texture or materials. It does not protect how it works (that is the patent), but how it looks. The requirements are that it must be new and have individual character, meaning it produces a different overall impression from previous designs.

In Spain, it is registered at the OEPM under Ley 20/2003 (the Spanish Industrial Design Act) and lasts for 5 years, renewable for periods of 5 up to a maximum of 25 years. It is granted very quickly (on average around 1 month), because the OEPM does not examine novelty ex officio: it only reviews it if a third party files an opposition within 2 months of publication.

If you want to protect the appearance across the entire European market, there is the European Union design, which is registered with the EUIPO through a single procedure valid in the 27 Member States. Managora advises you on whether the national or European registration suits you best and submits it for you.

Copyright over a literary, artistic, scientific, musical, audiovisual or software work arises automatically upon its creation: you do not need to register it to be its owner. It is regulated by the Texto Refundido de la Ley de Propiedad Intelectual (Real Decreto Legislativo 1/1996) and lasts for the author's entire life plus 70 years after their death.

Even so, registering the work in the Intellectual Property Registry is highly recommended: it creates official proof of who the author is and from what date, which is the best defence against copies, plagiarism or ownership disputes. You can register the text of a book, a website, a logo, a photograph, a song or the source code of a programme.

The application is submitted electronically at the electronic headquarters of the Ministry of Culture (RePI application) using a digital certificate or Cl@ve (the Spanish electronic identity system), or in person at the Territorial Registry of your Autonomous Community. Managora prepares the copy of the work and the documentation and registers the procedure for you.

The .es domain is your Internet address under the Spanish ending. It is not industrial property in the strict sense, but it is a key piece of your digital identity: it is managed by Red.es and you only need to have some link to Spain to register it. It is contracted for renewable periods of 1 year.

The domain and the trademark complement each other: the trademark protects your commercial name against competitors in the registry (OEPM or EUIPO), while the domain prevents anyone else from using that name as a .es web address. Ideally, you should register both at the same time so that no one occupies your online name.

Managora checks availability, registers the .es domain and, if you wish, also coordinates the trademark registration to shield your name on all fronts.

The cost has two parts: the tasas (official fees) of the body (OEPM, Ministry of Culture or Red.es) and Managora's fees for preparing and submitting the procedure. The official tasas (fees) for patents and utility models valid from 1 April 2026 appear in the table; you can see the updated amount that Managora charges for each procedure in the corresponding file.

Timeframes vary greatly depending on the figure: a patent can take between 2 and 3 years due to its double examination; a utility model, a few months; an industrial design is granted on average in around 1 month; the registration of a work, a few weeks; and a .es domain is activated almost immediately.

There are official tasa (fee) reductions of 50% on patents and utility models for SMEs and individual entrepreneurs, as well as discounts for electronic submission. Managora applies the corresponding reduction when processing your application.