Saint Kitts and Nevis joins the Hague System
July 22, 2024
Saint Kitts and Nevis has joined the Hague System, expanding the geographical scope of WIPO’s international design system to 97 countries. As the fourth Caribbean country to do so, following Belize, Jamaica and Suriname, the accession of Saint Kitts and Nevis enhances the status of the Hague System as a global option for securing design protection.
The Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis deposited its instrument of accession to the 1999 Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement on July 8, 2024. Saint Kitts and Nevis is the 74th Contracting Party to the 1999 Act and the 80th member of the Hague Union.
The 1999 Act will enter into force in Saint Kitts and Nevis on October 8, 2024.
What does this mean for you?
Starting October 8, 2024…
- If you are a designer or business owner in Saint Kitts and Nevis, you will be able to seek protection of your designs in any of the 80 Contracting Parties of the Hague System, by filing just one international application.
- If you are a non-resident, you will be able to secure international design protection in Saint Kitts and Nevis through WIPO’s Hague System, facilitating expansion of your business into the Caribbeans.
Declarations
To ensure that the international procedural mechanism of the Hague System accommodates their own domestic requirements, Hague System contracting parties can make certain declarations. Saint Kitts and Nevis’ instrument of accession includes the following declarations:
- Applications cannot be filed through its Intellectual Property Office
- The maximum duration of protection is 25 years
- Level two of the standard designation fee will apply.
For full details of declarations, download Information Notice HAGUE/2024/8.
Stay tuned for more information!
You will soon be able to find out all about Saint Kitts and Nevis’ domestic laws, procedures and requirements for international design protection in our Hague System Member Profiles. Check back soon!
Find out more
- How the Hague System works
- Filing international design applications
- Managing international design registrations
- eHague – your digital gateway to international design protection
Questions or queries?
WIPO Hague System – The International Design System
WIPO's Hague System provides a unique international mechanism for securing and managing design rights simultaneously in more than 90 countries through one application, in one language with one set of fees.