The New EU Designs Implementing Regulation No. 2026/138: Key Changes And Practical Implications For EU Design Filing Practice

The EU Commission has now approved the new EU Designs Implementing Regulation, setting out a number of procedural changes to the EU registered design regime. The new Regulation was published on 19 March 2026 and will come into force on 1 July 2026. 

Following the substantive changes to EU design law introduced on 1 May 2025 (discussed in my article here, the new Implementing Regulation introduces further significant modernisation of design filing practice before the EUIPO, particularly in how designs may be represented and submitted. The most important changes are set out below.

Removal of the Seven‑View Limit

One of the most welcome changes introduced by the new Regulation is the abolition of the rigid limit of seven views for representing a design within an EU registered design application.