European design protection

The European design (Community design) provides EU-wide protection that applies throughout the European Union. With a Community design, design protection can be obtained in all current and future EU member states with a single application in one language. You can file a Community design exclusively with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). Once registered, the Community design is valid for 5 years and can be renewed thereafter for a maximum of 25 years in total.

Priority

In order to extend protection to other countries, it is very important to consider priority. If you have already filed a first application for the same design for the same products abroad, you can claim the filing date of this first application for your current application, if the filing date of the first application is not more than six months before the one of your current application. Your application will then be treated as if it had already been filed on the date of the first filing.