The Community design is a unitary system wherein one application provides design protection throughout the European Union. The right has equal value in all the Member States. The Hague Agreement is an international system, which confers national protection by filing a single application with the World Intellectual Property Organization. Within this application the States in which protection is sought must be designated. This system is applicable in some of the current and potential future EU Member States and in some other non-EU countries, in total more than 40 countries.
The main difference is that the Community design grants one right in the whole territory of the EU whereas the Hague Agreement gives the possibility to file via one centralised application several national design applications for several design rights.
For more information on protecting your design in the EU, please contact this office.
