About the Hague System
WIPO's Hague System allows you to secure design protection simultaneously in multiple countries or regions through one international application, in one language with one set of fees.
There is no pre-requirement to file a national or regional design application in order to use the Hague System.
You can file an international application under the Hague System if you:
- are a national of,
- have a domicile or habitual residence in, or
- have a real and effective industrial or commercial establishment in…
...any Hague System member (referred to as “contracting party”), including any country of the European Union (EU) or the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI).
You can secure protection within any contracting party, including member states of an intergovernmental organization party to the Hague Agreement. If you wish to protect a design in a jurisdiction that is not party to the Hague Agreement, you will have to file a national (or regional) application.
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Digital information kit
Get quick, concise and interactive information on applying for international design protection.
The process
The first step to obtaining international design protection is to file an international application with WIPO. Once submitted, your application will be checked for compliance with form and content (formal requirements), including payment of the required fees. Non-payment will result in an irregularity notice.
Once your application complies with all formal requirements, we will record it in the International Register. We will then publish your international registration in the International Designs Bulletin, the official publication of the Hague System, at which point the intellectual property (IP) offices of the designated contracting parties may perform substantive examination of your designs.
Tip! Check what your competitors are doing by searching existing designs – virtual and print – before you file an international design application.
Tools to get you started
Key steps (WIPO)
1. File
File your application directly with WIPO using eHague – the simplest and most efficient way to secure international design protection.
2. Formality examination
We check your application to ensure that it meets all formal requirements (e.g., designation of contracting parties, quality of reproductions). We will notify you of any irregularities; you have three months to fix those irregularities.
Once your application complies with formal requirements, we send you a certificate of international registration.
3. Publication
By default – unless you requested immediate publication or publication at a chosen time – we publish your designs in the International Designs Bulletin twelve months after the international registration date (normally the date on which WIPO received your international application).
Possible action (designated contracting parties)
4. Substantive examination
Once we have published your international registration in the International Designs Bulletin, the IP office of each designated contracting party may perform substantive examination, checking whether your designs comply with their own domestic laws, e.g., descriptions of reproductions are included, designs are novel and not contrary to public morality or decency, etc.
Each designated contracting party has the right to refuse protection within its own territory, notifying WIPO within six (in some cases 12) months of the date of publication of the international registration. We will notify you if protection is refused.
No news is good news! If no refusal is issued by a given IP office, protection is deemed to be automatically granted in that given jurisdiction, under its established laws.
- Canada
- China
- Hungary
- Israel
- Japan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Mexico
- Republic of Korea
- Republic of Moldova
- Romania
- Russian Federation
- Syrian Arab Republic
- Turkmenistan
- United States of America
- Viet Nam
(Legal reference: Article 1 (xvii) of the Geneva Act (1999))
You can contest a refusal according to the established domestic procedure at the IP office concerned.
Refusal by one office does not affect your international registration in other designated jurisdictions.
WIPO offers a broad range of online resources that you can consult. You may raise specific enquiries through Contact Hague. WIPO does not provide legal assistance.
Duration of protection
The initial period of protection under the Hague System is five years. You can then renew your design twice, which guarantees you at least 15 years of protection.
Individual contracting party legislation may allow for a longer duration of protection.
Maximum duration of protection
Find out how long you can protect your designs for in each Hague System contracting party.
Making changes to your international registration
It is important to keep your international registrations up-to-date. You may need to make various changes such as changing ownership or representatives.
You can centrally manage and renew your registrations directly through WIPO.
Learning resources
Video: designs and protection
Watch this brief introduction to designs and their international protection through the WIPO Hague System.
Digital Information Kit
Explore our digital Information Kit to get quick, concise and interactive information on applying for design protection internationally. [PDF]
Hague System webinars
Our free interactive Hague System webinars offer practical information on a wide range of topics related to filing international applications and managing international registrations.
Distance learning
The WIPO Academy online preparatory course on trademarks, designs and geographical indications (DL-302) is designed to precede practical training on IP protection.
Questions about the Hague System?
Our Hague System Customer Service team is available to answer all your questions and assist you throughout the lifecycle of your international design applications and registrations. To ensure optimal handling of enquiries use Contact Hague.
Support hours: Monday to Friday, 09:00–18:00 (Geneva time)
Need to talk to someone? Call us: +41 22 338 7575