Registering a design is the way to legally protect your designs from unauthorized use.
Any designs which have not yet been registered, that are new, unique and have never been disclosed to the public, may be registered as designs. In Portugal, INPI is the only entity that can grant exclusive rights to designs through the national registry.
The registration of a design takes at least 3 months to be guaranteed. Once approved, the design registration is valid for a maximum period of 25 years.
The rights granted by INPI are only valid in national territory. To protect your designs abroad, you must apply for an EU (to protect design in Europe) or international registration. If you prefer, you can apply directly in each of the countries where you want to register your design.