Introduction to the Hague System
The Hague System is a special agreement on the international design system. Through the Hague System, you can obtain industrial design patent protection in up to 96 countries by submitting an international application. Moreover, international applications based on the Hague system can be centrally managed through the International Intellectual Property Office (WIPO), especially annual fee payments. There is no need to pay fees in each country one by one, which greatly reduces management costs and manual monitoring costs, and reduces error rates.
How to check legal status and annual fees
(1) Log in to the official website of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) ( wipo.int/portal/en/inde）；
(2) Click "Find & Explore" in the upper left corner of the page and select "Global Design Database";
(3) Select "Access the Global Design Database" to enter the query page;
(4) Enter relevant information on the query page and click "Search" to query;
(5) Click on the design you want to query to view the specific information of the design.
Renewal fee
| Hague system design renewal fees | ||||||||
| Renewal year | Years 6-10 | Years 11-15 | Years 16-20 | Years 21-25 | ||||
| Fee (CHF)/category | a design | Each design attached to the same international registration | a design | Each design attached to the same international registration | a design | Each design attached to the same international registration | a design | Each design attached to the same international registration |
| Basic renewal fee | 200 | 17 | 200 | 17 | 200 | 17 | 200 | 17 |
| Standard designation fee | 21 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 21 | 1 |
| Individual designation fee | African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) | 190 | 190 | |||||
| Canada | 276 | No separate designation fee | ||||||
| China | 1117 | 2205 | ||||||
| European Union | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | ||||
| Hungary | 47 | 11 | 47 | 11 | 47 | 11 | 47 | 11 |
| Israel | 146 | 175 | 204 | 234 | ||||
| Japan | 574 | 574 | 574 | 574 | ||||
| Kyrgyzstan | 64 | 6 | 64 | 6 | 64 | 6 | 64 | 6 |
| Mexico | 290 (145 for small entities) | 290 (145 for small entities) | 290 (145 for small entities) | 290 (145 for small entities) | ||||
| South Korea | 296 | 699 | 806 | |||||
| Republic of Moldova | 105 | 10 | 105 | 10 | ||||
| Russian Federation | 219 | 538 | 800 | 1392 | ||||
| Turkmenistan | 1019 | 1586 |
Protection period
The initial protection period for designs under the Hague System is 5 years, and can be renewed twice to ensure a protection period of at least 15 years. If the designated country allows a longer protection period, it can also be renewed, but it cannot exceed the maximum protection period of the designated country. For example, the maximum period of protection allowed by the European Union (one of the contracting parties) is 25 years, which means that if your design designates the European Union, it can be renewed up to 25 years. Renewal must be processed within six months before expiration. If the renewal application is not submitted within 6 months, there is still a 6-month grace period (additional supplementary fees are required). In addition, the designation application for the United States must pay a separate fee. The designation fee is paid in two parts. Payment of the second part means protection for 15 years by default, and no renewal is required in the future.