What is a registered design?
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Community registered designs in Europe filed before 31 December 2020 cover the UK and European Community member states; these “community registered designs” are converted into a UK design and the remaining portion of the community registered design not including the UK.
To secure registered design protection in Europe and the UK for future designs (filed from 1 January 2021), the simplest route is via the Hague Agreement. Put simply, the Hague Agreement allows an applicant to make a single design filing which can turn into multiple registered designs. A design filing under the Hague Agreement is particularly well suited to pursuing registered designs in Europe and the UK because the formal requirements for registered designs are very similar in both countries.
If design protection is only required in the UK, or only in Europe (not including the UK), a single registered design application in only one territory is advised.