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ARTICLE · 13 JULY 2026

EU Design Reform: A Complete Guide To The Changes Introduced In 2025 And 2026

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The European Union designs regime has undergone its most significant overhaul in more than two decades. The reforms, introduced in two phases between May 2025 and July 2026, modernise EU design law to better accommodate digital products, graphical user interfaces (GUIs), animation, 3D printing technologies, typographic typefaces, and virtual goods.

European UnionIntellectual Property
Michael Shaw
Michael Shaw
Amy Morris
Amy Morris
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The European Union designs regime has undergone its most significant overhaul in more than two decades. The reforms, introduced in two phases between May 2025 and July 2026, modernise EU design law to better accommodate digital products, graphical user interfaces (GUIs), animation, 3D printing technologies, typographic typefaces, and virtual goods. They also introduce important procedural changes affecting the way designs are filed, represented and enforced.

For businesses relying on design protection, understanding these changes is essential to ensuring that valuable product designs, digital assets and branding elements remain adequately protected.

Phase 1: The New EU Designs Regulation (1 May 2025)

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