Commission Proposes Linking of EU and WIPO Design Registration Systems

On December 22, 2005, the European Commission presented two proposals for linking the 'Community Design' system, which protects designs within the EU, with the Hague international design registration system of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The proposals would allow companies, with a single application, to obtain protection of a design not only throughout the EU with the Community Design, but also in the countries which are members of the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement concerning the international registration of industrial designs. The first proposal relates to the accession of the European Community (EC) to the Geneva Act. The second proposal contains the necessary provisions to give effect to that accession, in particular through an amendment of Council Regulation No 6/2002 on Community Designs.

For more details, see Axel Horn's IPJUR Bog where he links to

• Document COM (2005) 687 final titled "Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION approving the accession of the European Community to the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement concerning the international registration of industrial designs, adopted in Geneva on 2 July 1999 {SEC(2005)1748} (presented by the Commission)"
• Document COM (2005) 689 final titled "Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION amending Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 and (EC) No 40/94 to give effect to the accession of the European Community to the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement concerning the international registration of industrial designs" and
• Document SEC(2005)1749 - Commission Staff Working Document.