Protect in the EU

Your design is your competitive edge
Protect it with a Registered EU design 

If you’re showcasing your new design at this year’s Salone del Mobile, protect it against design theft by registering it.

To register your EU design, apply to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

In design-driven industries, visual innovation is what sets your brand apart. 

For products where technical features are similar, the design is often the deciding factor for the customer. 

A Registered EU Design protects the appearance of your product, including the shapes, lines and contours, colours and textures, movement and transition, in the real world and in the virtual world.

Registering your EU design gives you:

  • Protection in the 27 EU countries
  • A powerful tool to stop the copycats

  • A valuable business asset you can license or sell
     

At the EUIPO we register over 100,000 EU designs every year. 

APPLY NOW for your Registered EU Design 
 

✔ Cost €350 (only €88 with the SME Fund)

✔ Registration can take just 48 hours

✔ Protection in 27 EU countries for 5 years, renewable for up to 25 years

✔ Option of multiple designs (up to 50) in one application. €125 per additional design

✔ You can defer the publication (making your design public) for up to 30 months

Are you a small or medium-sized enterprise in the EU?

  • Save 75% with the SME Fund

Apply to the SME Fund and get reimbursed 75% of the EU design registration fee (€350). That means you get a Registered EU Design for only €88 with the SME Fund.

To be eligible, be sure to apply for the SME Fund Voucher 2, BEFORE applying to register your EU Design.

Apply now to the SME Fund.

  • FREE advice from the experts 

Not sure where to start? Get free intellectual property (IP) guidance in your language before applying for your EU design. Get advice on:

  • what designs to protect and where
  • preparing your application to register
  • intellectual property questions and strategy

Apply now for free expert advice

  • One-to-one online help with your EU Design application 

Once you have decided to register your EU Design, you can request real-time guidance from an EUIPO design expert during the application process. This will help avoid mistakes that can lead to delays. When you are ready to apply for your EU Design you can request the service at customercare@euipo.europa.eu or by calling +34 965 139 100.

Registered EU Design (EUD) and Unregistered EU Design

It is recommendable to register your EU design before you disclose it (make it public). However, if you make it public before registering it, you have automatic unregistered design protection that lasts 3 years. If you decide to register your design after disclosure, you can do that within a period of one year from the date of disclosure.

An unregistered design protects against the commercial use of an exact copy. Unregistered designs are free and effective for 3 years after the product is disclosed. To properly disclose a design, it must be published, exhibited, used in trade or otherwise made available to the public within the EU. If you’re showcasing a design for the first time at a trade fair, a good way to prove disclosure is to get an official certificate from the fair organiser. Although an unregistered EU design is free, it can be expensive to enforce the right in court.

Registered designs are protected against similar designs even when the infringing design has been developed in good faith (i.e. without knowledge of the existence of the original design). Registered designs are valid for 5 years from the date of filing and can be renewed in 5-year blocks for up to a maximum of 25 years. There is a fee, but enforcement of registered designs is straightforward.

For more information on the difference between Unregistered Design rights and Registered Design rights see this informative leaflet and detailed dossier.