Global Design Protection Update – Hague Agreement At 100 And Recent International Developments

A Century of the Hague System for Industrial Designs

November 2025 marked the 100th anniversary of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs, a foundational international treaty administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization. Signed in 1925, the Hague Agreement established a centralized system allowing applicants to secure industrial design protection across multiple jurisdictions through a single international application.

Over the past century, the Hague System has evolved into a widely used global filing mechanism, now encompassing dozens of contracting parties covering the majority of major economies. It enables applicants to file up to 100 designs in a single application, in one language and with a unified fee structure, significantly reducing administrative burden and cost.