The United States of America and Japan have joined the Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs, a system that provides a cost-effective way of registering industrial designs in 64 countries.
The Hague System allows a single application to be filed centrally and registered in the 64 countries which now include USA, Japan and the EU.
An international registration produces the same effect of a grant of protection in each of the designated countries as if the design had been registered directly with each national office, unless protection is refused by the national office. Registered design protection varies from country to country and can last from 15 to 25 or more years. The Hague System comes into effect in USA on 13 May 2015. For more information on protecting your designs, please contact us.