Using the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) to obtain a UK patent or using the Hague International Design System to obtain a UK registered design will automatically provide protection in Guernsey.  This follows the UK’s recent declarations extending its ratification of these international agreements.

Guernsey is one of the Channel Islands situated in the English Channel.  It has a population of over 60,000 and an economy mainly built around financial services.  It is a British Crown Dependency with its own legislative framework for intellectual property rights.  Patent or design protection can be obtained based on existing rights, such as a UK patent or design right, following the completion of a registration step.

However, the UK’s recent declarations avoid the need for this registration step in certain circumstances.  When a UK patent has been obtained via a PCT application or when a UK registered design is obtained via the Hague system, protection will automatically be provided for Guernsey.

These declarations are coming into force on 23rd March 2021 and so the automatic extension will apply to any PCT or international design applications that are filed from this date.  That’s one less thing to worry about!