As of today, Brazil is a full member of the Hague International Design system, increasing the System’s coverage to 96 countries. Any design filings made from today through the Hague System can include Brazil, including any applications that claim priority from earlier filings made over the last six months.

The Hague System allows the filing of a single international design application which can cover any or all of the Hague system’s countries at the applicant’s discretion, in a manner similar to an international patent application filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). This can provide significant cost benefits, and interest in the system has grown significantly, as membership of the system has grown over the last few years to cover a majority of key IP jurisdictions around the world.

Despite these benefits, use of the Hague system does require careful planning. Formal requirements vary across key system members, and drafting an international design application that meets these conflicting requirements can sometimes be a challenge. This is exemplified by the accession of Brazil, which does not permit the use of broken lines in the figures of its design applications.

The Carpmaels & Ransford Designs Team is experienced in handling international design applications under the Hague System and has spent considerable time building a knowledge base regarding filing particulars in countries covered by the System, and developing strategies to leverage the considerable benefits of the Hague system while avoiding its pitfalls. If you have any queries regarding this development, or want to know more about handling applications under the system, please get in touch with your regular Carpmaels contact.