On 5 February 2022, China deposited the instrument of accession to the 1999 Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement with the director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and thereby became the 68th contracting party to the 1999 Geneva Act and the 94th country to join the Hague System for the international protection of designs. The Hague Agreement will enter into force in China as of 5 May 2022.

 

China’s accession to the Hague System means that design owners in China are now able to conveniently apply for international protection of their design in the 94 countries covered by the Hague System as desired by filing a single application, and in parallel, overseas design owners from a contracting party to the Hague Agreement can secure design protection in China market in a simple and economical manner.

 

To ensure the effective implementation of the Hague Agreement, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has formulated and published the Interim Measures for Handling Relevant Matters after the Accession to the Hague Agreement , which will also take effect on 5 May 2022.