International design protection requires a deliberate choice of territories and filing routes. We coordinate national applications and Hague System filings around your sales markets, production locations and launch timetable.
The decisions that matter
An international registration under WIPO’s Hague System can designate participating jurisdictions. It does not create automatic protection in every country. The designated jurisdictions retain their own substantive rules and may refuse protection. Countries outside the available route require a separate filing strategy.
Choose the route before preparing the images
A set of drawings suitable for one office may need adaptation elsewhere. We consider partial designs, views, descriptions, unity requirements, ownership evidence and local representation. An international application can be filed without first obtaining a German registration, provided the applicant meets the Hague eligibility requirements.
Control deadlines and expenditure
The first filing, any priority claim and product disclosure must be coordinated. We distinguish professional fees, official charges, translation costs and local-agent work in the proposed scope. Later expansion is not a substitute for preserving priority at the outset.
Hague registration and national examination
WIPO’s formal examination and a designated office’s substantive assessment are separate. A refusal may concern a local requirement even though the international application was accepted and published. Responding can require local counsel, translations or amended material within a national deadline. The initial budget should therefore distinguish filing costs from possible designation-specific prosecution.
Priority is not a later territorial extension
A Hague registration cannot simply be enlarged later by adding further countries to the same registration. Additional territories generally require another application, with priority and disclosure assessed at that time. A six-month design priority deadline can be commercially decisive. Decide early which production countries and sales markets are essential, which are optional and which cannot be reached through the chosen route.
Prepare one coordinated instruction file
The instruction file should identify the applicant, designer, earliest filing, disclosure history, target territories and all representations. National differences in partial designs, descriptions, unity, examination and protection periods can affect the drawing strategy. We coordinate these questions before submission and maintain a record of the rights actually obtained rather than merely the countries initially requested.
Three international projects
A German exporter planning US sales needs drawings and a claim suitable for a US design patent, not just an EU registration number. A brand selling in the EU, Switzerland and the UK should compare direct filings with Hague designations. A business producing in China and selling in Europe should assess protection at the manufacturing source as well as at the point of sale.
What we need to begin
Useful starting material includes clear product images or drawings, the intended applicant, designer and ownership information, planned countries, earlier filings and all known disclosure dates. Tell us whether the product is a prototype, a final production model or a family of variants, and identify the commercial deadline.
Scope, fees and next steps
We first identify the legal question and the information needed to answer it. The proposed scope distinguishes filing or analysis, office correspondence, negotiations and proceedings, together with official charges and any foreign-adviser work. You receive a matter-specific proposal before the agreed steps are taken. Where another jurisdiction is involved, we coordinate with local advisers as required.
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Legal resources
Official guidance and legal framework. The applicable right, filing date and jurisdiction determine the detailed rules. Editorial review: 11 November 2026.