The Hague System (WIPO’s international design system) includes 82 members covering 99 countries, the most recent of which to join is Saudi Arabia.
Economic and competitive benefits
- A single application covers a large proportion of the markets of your interest
- Effective protection of new, distinctive features at a very competitive price
Protection benefits
- Extensive geographical coverage eligible for protection: for example, the EU, the USA, Canada, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia…
- No need to be granted a local right first; the international design can be filed directly
- Autonomous protection: the scope of protection in each designated country is independent of the protection provided for in any other country specified by the international design
- Centralised management of procedures
- A single deadline to monitor for the five-yearly extension up to 25 years for the majority of territories
Financial benefits
- Fees lower than the sum of the national filing fees
- A single filing language across all territories, including French
- A single set of fees paid centrally
Key considerations
- Applicant must be a national of, be domiciled in, have their habitual residence in, or have a genuine industrial or commercial establishment in one of the 99 member countries of the Hague System
- Domestic law in each country will apply to the examination of the design and to its enforceability against third parties
- National requirements regarding the views to be filed and descriptions, in particular, are not fully harmonised; this therefore requires a preliminary analysis before any filing.
- Prior disclosure may affect the validity of the registration, depending on the country. Furthermore, care must be taken to avoid self-disclosure prior to filing; some countries do not grant a grace period and, consequently, no prior disclosure must have taken place.
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