Why Overseas Registration?
If you are a designer or a business owner, you need to know about international industrial design registration in order to protect your designs and compete in international markets. So, why is foreign registration so important? Let’s examine it together!
- Global Competition
In a globalizing world, your competitors are not only in the local market, but also in the international arena. By registering your design abroad, you can gain an advantage in this competition. Remember, protecting your designs is important not only on a national level but also on a global scale.
- Innovation and Conservation
Every new design is a labor of love and creativity. Therefore, protecting your designs is critical to maintaining your innovation. With overseas registration, you ensure that your design is protected in other countries.
- Overseas Industrial Design Registration Process
The process of industrial design registration abroad consists of certain steps. The first step is to identify your target market.
- Determining the Target Market
You need to decide in which countries your designs will be registered. This decision depends on the type of your design and your target audience. You should consider which market is most profitable for you.
Overseas Design Registration Methods
Country Application
The design application is filed directly with the official institution of the country through an agent in the relevant country.
Application for international design registration under the WIPO – Hague system
• It is run by WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization).
• It is a simple and easy application system that can be applied for up to 100 designs in a total of 91 countries, including OAPI and the European Union.
• The protection period of international registration is initially 5 years. It can be renewed at least once in countries party to the Hague Text (1960) and at least twice in countries party to the Geneva Text. More renewals are possible if the law of the designated country permits.EUIPO-Avrupa Birliği topluluk tasarımı başvurusu
• It is run by EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office).
• It covers the member countries of the European Union.
• It provides registration in all European countries with a single application.
• The registration period is approximately 2 weeks and there is no novelty examination by the Official Authority.
• The term of protection is five years from the date of application. This period can be extended up to a total of twenty-five years by renewal in five-year periods.
OAPI – African Union
- OAPI countries;
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Comoros are members of the community of 17 French-speaking countries of Africa.
- It provides the opportunity to register a design in all member countries with a single application.
- The protection period is 5 years and can be extended up to a total of 15 years by renewing in five-year periods.
ARIPO – African regional intellectual property organization
•Aripo countries;
• Botswana, Swaziland, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
• The term of protection is 10 years in total upon payment of annual fees.
- Advantages of Foreign Registration
There are many advantages to registering industrial designs abroad.
- Market Opportunities
Designs registered abroad bring opportunities to open up new markets. Thus, you can bring your design to a wider audience.
- Legal Protection and Infringement Prevention
Registration provides legal protection of your design. It prevents others from using your design without permission and provides you with legal support against possible infringements.
