Unregistered design rights provide automatic protection for the appearance of a product for up to how many years after creation?

• A. They require formal registration before protection begins.
• B. They last for 25 years.
• C. They provide automatic protection to prevent copying of the appearance for up to 10 years after creation.
• D. They protect the functional working parts of a product.

Answer: (C)

Unregistered design rights protect how a product looks, automatically and without any registration. The protection lasts for up to 10 years after the design is created, giving designers a window to prevent others from copying the appearance. This is why the best choice says protection lasts for up to 10 years after creation. The other ideas don’t fit because unregistered rights don’t require registration, they aren’t a 25-year term (that’s typical of registered designs), and they don’t cover the functional working parts—UDRs focus on appearance, not function. If longer protection is needed, a formal registered design can be pursued, which can last up to 25 years with renewals.