The Hague Agreement on International Design Registrations: A Commentary

This Commentary provides a comprehensive examination of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs, through a detailed article-by-article analysis of the Agreement’s provisions, including the Regulations and Administrative Instructions. It explores the development and historical context of the Hague System for the protection of industrial design, and its role within the broader framework of intellectual property (IP) law.

Key Features:

• Positions the Hague System in the context of relevant international treaties and conventions
• Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of international versus national design registrations
• Explains the concepts and definitions of each article to construct an extensive review of the fundamental components of the Agreement
• Reflects the sole applicability (since 1 January 2025) of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs of July 2, 1999 (the Geneva Act) for design applications
• Addresses specific topics such as illustrations of design filings, national peculiarities of important Contracting Parties, and protection of Graphical User Interfaces

Delivering useful strategies for IP practitioners, this Commentary is a valuable resource for agents, patent attorneys and those specializing in European and IP law. Furthering both academic understanding and real-world applications, it is also of interest to law scholars and students, as well as product designers who aim to protect their designs internationally.