To China by way of The Hague

On 5 May 2022, China will become a party to the international design registration system based on The Hague Agreement. This system, also known as The Hague System, allows you to register a design in more than 90 countries − including China from the 5th of May – by filing a single application.

A design is ‘the exterior of a product or a part thereof’. Or product design, to put it more simply. This can be three dimensional or two dimensional and cover anything ranging from cars, drains and remote controls to textile patterns or even logos.

To qualify for protection under design law, a design must be new and have a distinctive character. In addition to trademark registration and patent registration, design registration is an important way in which to give your company and products effective protection.

International cooperation

An international design registration makes it a great deal simpler to protect your design in other countries, in the same way an international trademark registration makes it easier to protect your trademark. It means that you no longer need to maintain a mountain of files in dozens of different languages or get tangled up in a jumble of rules, regulations and deadlines. It’s a wonderful thing when countries can collaborate with each other in a friendly manner.

Even easier

Although the Hague System is a fine example of what happens when you simplify matters, it is not entirely free of national clauses, caveats and bureaucracy; no legal system of that scale could be. China’s accession will initially bring new challenges and uncertainties, but naturally, we will keep you informed of these developments.

Knijff is happy to help you with registering your trademarks and designs internationally. We know the way, are well-versed with the rules and requirements, keep a sharp eye on deadlines and our large and reliable network means that we can give your trademark or design optimal protection worldwide. This way, we can make life that bit easier for you.