EU access to the Hague system on international designs

On 24th September, the European Union submitted its instrument of accession to the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement to the World Intellectual Property Organization. The Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement establishes a system for the international registration of industrial designs. After joining it, economic actors will have the possibility to use a single application to obtain protection of a design not only throughout the EU with the Community Design, but also in the countries that are members of the Geneva Act. This will simplify procedures, reduce the costs for international protection and make administration easier.

The new system will enter into force on 1st January 2008, and it is believed that it will simplify administration procedures and lower the costs of obtaining protection.