The Utility of Design Law

The Patent Office has commissioned research into the utility of design law, to be carried out by Speechly Bircham (for whom, once upon a time, I worked in my first job in private practice) and Mountainview (www.mountainview.co.uk, is it?). I guess this must be a very short questionnaire, because our design law was carefully crafted to give no worthwhile protection to spare parts, particularly those for cars but also those for white goods - areas of technology which at the time were converging, as it happens, courtesy of Sir Clive Sinclair, though that has nothing to do with it - and, as an unintended consequence, no worthwhile protection to anything else either. Well, I exaggerate a little, and in 1988 the Registered Designs Act was made a bit better but still nobody bothered with it very much.
The questionnaire is available until 20 April according to the press release, so log on and have some fun.