Designs
The World Intellectual Property Organisation has published its Hague Yearly Review 2017
August 31, 2017
The Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs allows an applicant to register up to 100 different designs in multiple countries through a single international application.
Open to everyone, the system was established to save applicants time and money by allowing a mechanism, for acquiring, maintaining, and managing design rights. The rights can be enforced in countries that have signed up to the Hague Agreement. Cambodia became the latest country to join when it did so earlier this year putting the number of current members at 66.
The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the organisation through which the Hague System is administered, has just published its annual report reviewing the growth of the system.
Amongst the many trends and insights identified, the review found that there were 5,562 applications filed in 2016; growth of 35.3%. In addition, those applications contained 18,716 designs; an increase of 13.9% on the previous year. This high growth was attributed to the recent expansion of the system to include Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States who all came in the top 10 countries for applications and number of designs.
The Republic of Korea was the country with the most applications coming in at 1,290. Germany (733), Switzerland (705), France (417) and the US (405) made up the top five. The UK came in at number 10 with 115 applications.
Germany was the country with the largest share of designs with 3,917. Switzerland (2,555) the Republic of Korea (1,882), the US (1,410) and the Netherlands (1,317) rounded out the top five. The UK was 13 on this measurement with 330 designs.
Applicants from European countries accounted for 71.9% of all designs with Asian countries having the next largest share at 20.3%.
The entire review can be found here.
Swindell & Pearson is a UK based intellectual property firm that has been helping businesses and individuals obtain patent, trade mark, and design right protection for their ideas, innovations and brands for over 135 years. With its head office in Derby, the firm also has offices in Stoke, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Sheffield and Burton upon Trent. To find out how Swindell & Pearson can help you and your business with any patent, trade mark or design right matters please get in touch via [email protected] or by telephone on 01332 367 051.