My company has been producing a very successful range of bedroom furniture for some years. Another company has recently approached me and said that now I have to allow them to produce it also. Is this right?

If your furniture is the mass produced type, and you have not sought a formal design registration, then any protection is likely to be limited to the UK unregistered design right. The right lasts for 15 years from the end of the calendar year in which that design document or that article came into existence (whichever occurred first). In the last 5 years of the right, any person is entitled as of right to a licence to produce your designs, which means they can produce your design in exchange for paying you a royalty.

However, if your furniture is handmade or bespoke, then it may be protected by copyright. Equally, any surface patterns, such as engravings, or prints on the furniture could also be copyright. Copyright lasts for 70 year, typically.

Seek legal advice in situations such as these to fully understand the rights you have and how to enforce them if applicable.