International Design Patent Filings via Hague System Grow 35.3% in 2016
According to the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO)'s recent statistics, a total of 5,562 international design applications containing 18,716 designs were filed under the WIPO-administrated Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs in 2016, representing a growth of 35.3% over the previous year.
In 2016, Germany with 3,917 designs was the largest user of the Hague System, followed by Switzerland (2,555), the Republic of Korea (1,882), the US (1,410), and the Netherlands (1,317). Japan, which, like the US, joined the Hague System in May 2015, was ranked number 8 with 860 designs filed during the year.
For the top applicants, the leading five were: Fonkel Meubelmarketing of the Netherlands (953 designs); Samsung Electronics of the Republic of Korea (862); LG Electronics of the Republic of Korea (728); Swatch of Switzerland (383); and Procter & Gamble of the US (348). And by field of designs, furnishing accounted for the largest share of total designs (11.3%), followed by recording and communication equipment (10%), means of transport (7.8%), clocks and watches (6.9%), and packaging and containers (5.4%).
The Hague System provides protection for industrial designs, for up to 100 designs in a single application, in 66 (as of 13 January 2017) countries or international organizations that are members of the System.
