Not protected are designs which

• Are purely functional (e.g. the threads on a screw)
• Offend public morality or order
• Go against the law (e.g. the Federal Law on Protection of Coats of Arms)

The design act does not cover

• Production methods (e.g. ways of making clothes)
• Practical uses (e.g. flow charts)
• Technical functions

These could possibly be protected by a patent.