European Union Community Design Guide

How to get a European Union Community Design

There are two ways to file a Community design:
1.    File directly with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)
2.    File a Hague Design and designate the European Union

• Authority
  • European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO, Formerly OHIM – Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market), Website: www.euipo.europa.eu
• Languages accepted
  • English / French / German
• Required documents
  • Photoes/Pictures (7 views)
  • Brief description (in English/French/German, max 100 words)
  • Priority document together with its English translation / DAS code (may be submitted within 3 months from the filing date)
    • If the color picture contained in the priority document, the scanned copy must also be in color.
    • If Community design is claimed as the priority, then only the application number and date are required — no document is needed.
  • If the earlier filing language is not an EU language, a translation into the 1st or 2nd language of the RCD must be submitted within 2 months from the filing date.
  • Inventor’s Declaration / Employment Declaration / Priority Right Assignment
  • Assignment for Patent Right Transfer (if applicable)
• Filing Fee:
  • Filing fee and publication fee must be paid simultaneously with the new application
• Type and Duration of Protection
  • Registered European Union Design (REUD) (formerly known as Registered Community Design / RCD): Initial protection for 5 years, renewable 4 times, up to a maximum of 25 years.
  • Unregistered European Union Design (UEUD) (formerly known as Unregistered Community Design / UCD): Protection lasts only for 3 years and cannot be extended once expired.
• Due Date
  • Paris Convention / Hague Agreement priority: within 6 months from the earliest priority date.
• Novelty Grace Period
  • For REUD: 12 months before the filing date / priority date.
• Grant
  • If a Community design application meets all the requirements for approval, it is typically granted within 10 working days. 
    However, if the design does not reference the product list in DesignClass, the grant may be delayed. In such cases, the product description needs to be translated into an official EU language.
• Renewals
  • Registered Community Design (RCD): Starting from the 5th year of filing date, renewal fees must be paid every 5 years. Renewals need to be submitted within 6 months before the expiration date. If missed, the fee can still be paid during a 6-month grace period, but with an additional 50% late fee.
• Average Grant Time
  • 10 days