The patterns and images on the outer packaging can be registered for copyright (copyright), and the protection period of copyright is 50 years (legal person organization), or 50 years after the death of the creator.
Look carefully at the above, the objects protected by the two are different in time, depending on whether you pay attention to protecting the copyright of the pattern or the overall appearance of the product.
If you have a variety of packaging specifications, there is nothing special about the box except the pattern itself. You can register the copyright of the pattern first.
Instead, you should apply for an appearance patent to protect the whole product.
In addition, the copyright is naturally acquired with the completion of the work, that is to say, there is no need to go through the formalities of copyright registration, but it is just a means of leaving a certificate in the future.