The Hague Agreement concerning the International Filing of Industrial Designs (also known as the Hague system) is a simple and inexpensive way to obtain design protection for many countries with one central application. Unlike IR trademarks, this does not require an initial filing in the home country, and international design protection for the EU and Switzerland, for example, is hardly more expensive than design protection for the EU alone.

In the meantime, the Hague Agreement has 96 participating countries, with many economically interesting countries such as the USA, Canada, China, Japan and South Korea having joined the Hague Agreement in recent years.

Now Brazil has also joined the Hague Design Agreement – since February 13, 2023, it is possible to file international design applications with effect for Brazil as well.

The international design application is filed directly with WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization). Further information can be found on the WIPO homepage: https://www.wipo.int/hague/en/news/2023/news_0009.html.