China has joined the Hague System
News | 18.02.2022
On 5 February 2022, China declared its accession to the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs (“Hague System”).
As of 5 May 2022, it will be possible to file design applications with the WIPO for China under the Hague System. Under this system, cost-effective design protection can be obtained with a single application, which provides essentially the same protection as national applications in a large number of territories, including the EU, the USA, Japan and the UK. Moreover, unlike in trademark law, the filing of design applications through WIPO is not dependent on a basic application.
Hong Kong and Macao are not affected by China's accession; the Hague System does not apply in these territories.