{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/registered-designs-act-1949/section-44",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/registered-designs-act-1949/section-44.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/Geo6/12-13-14/88",
  "legislation_title": "Registered Designs Act 1949",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/registered-designs-act-1949",
  "path": "section/44",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "44",
  "heading": "Interpretation.",
  "text": "(1) In this Act, except where the context otherwise requires, the following expressions have the meanings hereby respectively assigned by them, that is to say\n. . .\n. . .\n. . .\n“assignee” includes the personal representative of a deceased assignee, and references to the assignee of any person include references to the assignee of the personal representative or assignee of that person;\n“ author ”in relation to a design, has the meaning given by section 2(3) and (4);\n. . .\n. . .\n“ the court ” shall be construed in accordance with section 27 of this Act;\n. . .\n“complex product” has the meaning assigned to it by section 1(3) of this Act;\n“design” has the meaning assigned to it by section 1(2) of this Act;\n“electronic communication” has the same meaning as in the Electronic Communications Act 2000;\n“ employee ”, “ employment ”, and “ employer ” refer to employment under a contract of service or of apprenticeship,\n“national unregistered design right” means design right within the meaning of Part III of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988;\n. . .\n“prescribed” means prescribed by rules made by the Secretary of State under this Act;\n“product” has the meaning assigned to it by section 1(3) of this Act;\n“proprietor” has the meaning assigned to it by section two of this Act;\n. . .\n“registered proprietor” means the person or persons for the time being entered in the register of designs as proprietor of the design;\n“registrar” means the Comptroller-General of Patents Designs and Trade Marks;\n. . .\n(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(4) For the purposes of subsection (1) of section 14 of this Act, the expression “personal representative”, in relation to a deceased person, includes the legal representative of the deceased appointed in any country outside the United Kingdom.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 44(1): definition of “Appeal Tribunal” omitted (6.4.2015) by virtue of Intellectual Property Act 2014 (c. 18), ss. 10(6), 24(1); S.I. 2015/165, art. 3"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "S. 44: definitions of“article”,“artistic work”,“corresponding design” and“set of articles” repealed (9.12.2001) by S.I. 2001/3949, reg. 9(2), Sch. 2 (with transitional provisions in regs. 10-14)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Definition inserted by Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (c. 48, SIF 67A), s. 272, Sch. 3 para. 31(3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Definition of “copyright” repealed by Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (c. 48, SIF 67A), ss. 272, 303(2), Sch. 3 para. 31(4), Sch. 8"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Definition substituted by Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (c. 48, SIF 67A), s. 272, Sch. 3 para. 31(6)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "Words in s. 44(1) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Designs and International Trade Marks (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/638), reg. 1, Sch. 8 para. 10; 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "S. 44(1): definitions of“complex product”,“national unregistered design right” and“product” inserted (9.12.2001) by S.I. 2001/3949, reg. 9(1), Sch. 1 para. 14(3) (with transitional provisions in regs. 10-14)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "Words substituted by Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (c. 48, SIF 67A), s. 272, Sch. 3 para. 31(7)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F9",
      "text": "S. 44(1): words in the definition of“design” substituted (9.12.2001) by S.I. 2001/3949, reg. 9(1), Sch. 1 para. 14(2) (with transitional provisions in regs. 10-14)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F10",
      "text": "Words in s. 44(1) inserted (1.10.2006) by Registered Designs Act 1949 and Patents Act 1977 (Electronic Communications) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/1229), arts. 1, 3"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F11",
      "text": "Definition inserted by Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (c. 48, SIF 67A), s. 272, Sch. 3 para. 31(8)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F12",
      "text": "Definition of “Journal” repealed by Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (c. 48, SIF 67A), ss. 272, 303(2), Sch. 3 para. 31(9), Sch. 8"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F13",
      "text": "Words substituted by Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (c. 48, SIF 67A), s. 272, Sch. 3 para. 31(10)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F14",
      "text": "S. 44(2)(3) repealed (9.12.2001) by S.I. 2001/3949, reg. 9(2), Sch. 2 (with transitional provisions in regs. 10-14)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F15",
      "text": "Words in s. 44(4) substituted (9.12.2001) by S.I. 2001/3949, reg. 9(1), Sch. 1 para. 14(4) (with transitional provisions in regs. 10-14)"
    },
    {
      "type": "P",
      "label": "P1",
      "text": "S. 44: power previously exercised by 1989/1105, 1131 and 1990/1698"
    },
    {
      "type": "P",
      "label": "P2",
      "text": "S. 44(1): s. 36 (with ss. 40 and 44(1)) power exercised by S.I. 1991/1628"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/12-13-14/88/section/44",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T11:19:58.992093+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}