Overseas Registered Designs
Filing a first design application normally generates a ‘priority date’, meaning that if applications for overseas trademark protection are filed within 6 months then they can be backdated to the date of filing that first application.
Thus after filing a UK design application, applications for overseas trademark protection can be backdated to the date of filing the UK application.
However, it is quite common for UK applicants to first file an EU design application instead of a UK application as the cost difference is quite small. Normally, therefore, any applications for overseas protection (other than the EU application) are direct national applications that claim priority from the EU design registration.
There are three main routes to obtaining registered design protection outside of the UK:
International (or ‘Hague’) Design Registration
EU (otherwise known as ‘Community’) Design Registration
(Or a combination of any or all of the above).
Contact us for a free consultation or more information on UK design registrations.
