Register Your Design Internationally

-Status on February 5, 2022-

What Can Be Registered?

The external visual appearance, ornamental or aesthetic aspect of any product or industrial or handicraft item can be protected, including packaging elements, graphic symbols and typefaces, these include any three-dimensional product or two-dimensional patterns, lines or combination of colours, as long as it is new and has individual character. Complex products or parts of products that can be taken apart and reassembled can also be protected as an International design.

The Spanish Office (OEPM). Spain has contracted most of the acts of the Hague System, thus design owners from any of the contracting Offices might designate Spain through this system. Besides, those Spanish applicants (nationals or residents) who base their Spanish design in the International registration may choose most of the countries or regions party to the System.

The European Union (EUIPO). The EU has only signed up to the Geneva Act so design applicants that who would like to designate the 28 EU Member States (RCD) can do so if the applicant’s country of origin has contracted this act. Besides, those owners basing their RCD for the International design registration may only elect the countries or regions that are party to the Geneva Act.

Multiple Design Applications

From one and up to 100 designs or variations can be included in one single International design application as long as all belong to the same Locarno class, while they do not need to be classified in the same subclass. There is no limit on the number of views per each design, although a fee has to be paid to WIPO for each view submitted.

Languages

English, French and Spanish are the working languages of the Hague System, being useful and attractive for both Spanish and Spanish-speaking companies and designers from other Member States seeking to protect their designs internationally.

Validity

International designs are granted for an initial period of five years but the maximum term may vary in each of the designated countries in the application (approx. 10 to 25 years, and up to 50 years in some cases).

Designer

In many countries you may indicate the name of the designer(s) or creator(s) in the design application, however it would not be mandatory to be mentioned and you may waive the right to be cited.

Disclaimers and Descriptions

In some countries it is mandatory that you enter a disclaimer/exclusion or a description of the design.

Classification of Designs

A design or multiple designs in one application must be correctly classified, also indicating the nature and purpose of the product according to the Locarno Classification.

Deferment of Publication

In some countries, the publication of a design may be deferred for a maximum period of 30 months from the filing or the priority date if it is requested by the applicant.

Courts for Design Infringement

All enforcement action and measures under civil law, in relation to International design infringement or unfair competition, must be brought at the relevant national court in which the design infringement occurred.

The value-added services we provide for International design registration can be summarized as follows:

Plan Your IP Strategy. We can help you plan your IP protection strategy in the related territories, according to your needs and budget, but always with the aim to achieve the widest protection as possible by also avoiding common filing mistakes that could suppose a threat to the validity of your IP right in the future.

Free Search

We can conduct a free basic search by owner or designer in all Registers with effect in the European Union (EUIPO, WIPO, OEPM) to help you finding if your product is not registered by a certain owner or cited designer and it is likely available before we apply for the International design. If you wish, we could also carry out an accurate and comprehensive search (currently, no accurate search retrieving designs based on similarity can be done inexpensively) along with our written search report and a risk assessment, by using tools and databases that are not publicly available. This is a highly skilled work that should be conducted by a specialized IP professional.

Filing

We would file the International design application on your behalf, foreseeing the relevant aspects and the correct manner it should be applied for, depending on the kind of product to be registered, the number of viewsbest representing each design or variation (plain, in elevation, cross-sectional, in perspective, exploded), colours to be used if appropriate, etc. We have fixed fees for filings as well as for design prosecution in this international Office so you can foresee the estimated costs for your design protection for those countries and regions within the system.

Prosecution and Management

We will monitor the process until your design is registered and duly inform you of every official communication we receive from each Office, along with our local associates’ preliminary advice on the step to take, if needed, as well as by sending you the publications and informing you of all deadlines to have in mind, including reminders and next renewal due notices, well before the given time limit, in order to avoid extra charges or any resulting loss of rights.

Defense. – Office Actions

If your design application is objected by a national or regional Office, based on the formalities check or substantive examination, or if it is challenged by a third party (opposition or declaration of invalidity), we can study the cited grounds for refusal or the relevance and differences of the earlier right on which the cancellation has been based and file the Office action response in defense of your rights within the given time limit, following the adequate strategy so we likely ensure success and uphold the desired registration of your design, and hence a solid enforceable registered design protection. – Litigation. In enforcement, we can represent and assist either the claimant or the defendant in design rights infringement proceedings with the Spanish and European Courts, directly, and everywhere else in the world via our local attorneys.

Other Actions

We can handle any associated matter on International designs such us the recordal of licenses, change of names and ownership transfers.

Representation

All persons or legal entities party to this Systemmay file directly an International design before the WIPO without the need of a representative. However, in the event that an Office action arises and a response or an appeal needs to be lodged against a refusal of protection, then the appointment of a representative might be mandatory and requested by the national or intergovernmental Office concerned. We would be glad to be your agent! You can enquire us about the representation of our attorney before the Spanish OEPM or at EUIPO along with our included associated services.

The process would be divided in two stages; the first between WIPO and the second between the designated contracting Offices, ruling the International design application on the subject and conditions of each jurisdiction.

At the International Bureau

1. Filing of the International Design. The application must be filed including the identification of the proprietor and of the designer, a representation or views for each design (with no limit on the number of views), the Locarno class along with a definition of the product covered by the design and the needed application fees for each design included. – 2. Formalities Check. Once the International design application is filed, the WIPO will examine its formalities to make sure the classification and indication of the product is correct, the representation of the views are clear enough and the fees cover all the designs applied for. The WIPOwill not check the novelty, thus it will not reject an international design application due to lack of novelty or any other substantive ground. – 3. Publication. If the application complies with the formal requirements, it will be published in the International Designs Bulletin.

At the National or Regional Office

4. Substantive Examination: The national or regional Offices could reject a design on the grounds of lack of novelty or provide the deadlines so third parties can challenge your design registration. These designated Offices cannot object on formalities, as these were previously checked by WIPO. Provisional refusals on substantive grounds issued by the national examining Offices must be notified to WIPO within the deadline of six up to twelve monthsfrom the date of publicationin the International Designs Bulletin. – 5. Registration. Where no notification of refusal was issued within the applicable period, the national Office mustsend to the International Bureau a statement where the protection is granted or, in the event that no notification of refusal has been received by WIPO from the domestic Office within that period, the International design will be deem to be protected at that national or regional Office.