You get it automatically in Europe for 3 years after publishing the design. If you are clever you publish your designs in B/W and without specific logos etc. You can also publish graphics with lines only.
Because of these regulations it is wise to stay clear of freshly published designs in Europe. You never know what has been published and where it was published. I usually publish my designs in a certain way. On some stuff I put registered designs, on others I go for community_designs.
I informed Stewii that I obtained community designs for the VESC 6.