Blockchain for securing IP in fashion and design

Document the design process, prove creatorship, and enforce IP rights with blockchain certificates.

The IP rights system for the fashion and design industry

IP awareness in the fashion sector is growing. Designers face short product lifecycles and low technological barriers to copying, making traditional legal protections—copyright, trademarks, and design rights—difficult to prove and enforce.

Bernstein provides instant, timestamped proof of your creative work. Establish who designed what and when—evidence that holds up in court.

IP protection for clothing and garments

Copyright law

Fabric patterns and surface decorations

Trademark law

Logos and indications of source

Registered & unregistered design rights

Ornamental designs of functional items

Blockchain applications for securing designs

Blockchain creates permanent evidence of creatorship, enabling IP rights claims and enforcement across countries and against counterfeit products.

Records of the design process

Blockchain creates indisputable records of design timelines, proving when individual features were added and by whom. Public blockchains provide stronger court evidence than private databases, as no single party controls the records.

Blockchain applications will enable designers to document every step in the design process, providing unalterable proof of creation in case of a dispute.
— Jeffrey H. Greene,Fenwick & West, The Fashion Law

Evidence of use and reputation

Blockchain can document advertising, marketing, and sales activities, creating proof of trademark use. This evidence can also establish brand reputation across product categories.

Blockchain records of the entire life-cycle of a product may lower the burden of collecting relevant evidence of first or genuine use of a mark.
— Sara Cavagnero & Elena Varese,DLA Piper Italy

Confidentiality

Blockchain registration does not make IP assets public. Only the cryptographic hash and timestamp are recorded on the blockchain—the actual designs remain private and do not enter the public domain.

How Bernstein fits in

Bernstein is a web application that registers IP assets on the Bitcoin blockchain. Certificates are legally recognized worldwide and independently verifiable.

With zero-knowledge architecture, your trade secrets and designs remain private. Only you hold the encryption keys. Digital timestamps from government authorities in the EU and China complement the blockchain evidence.

Document your entire design process—from early drafts to final projects—and create an indisputable record of creation.