General Information

Patents

Trade Marks

Designs

Utility Models

Plant Varieties

Designs Gazetteer

This information is not guaranteed.

This page was updated on Thursday, 7 May 2009.

Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Part 1 - National Entities

Afghanistan
AF
No design laws
Albania
AL
Industrial Design
A, G
15 yrs
unknown
Algeria
DZ
Design Registration
L, G
10 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable
Andorra
AD
No design laws
Angola
AO
Industrial Model; Industrial Design
A
No set term
 
single design registration only
Antigua and Barbuda
AG
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Antigua and Barbuda.
Argentina
AR
Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable
Armenia
AM
Industrial Design Patent
L
15 yrs
 
single design only (unity of industrial design)
Aruba
AW
No design laws
Australia
AU
Design Registration
A
10 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable in a single class
Austria
AT
Design Registration
A
25 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable
Azerbaijan
AZ
Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
unknown

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Bahamas
BS
Registered Design
A
15 yrs
 
single design registration only
Bahrain
BH
Registration of Foreign Design
F
15 yrs
 
unknown
Bangladesh
BD
Registered Design
L
15 yrs
 
single design registration only
Barbados
BB
Industrial Design
A
15 yrs
 
unknown
Belarus
BY
Design Patent
A
15 yrs
 
unknown
Belgium
BE
see BX
Belize
BZ
Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
single design registration only
Benin
BJ
see OA
Bhutan
BT
No design laws
Bolivia
BO
Design Registration
A
10 yrs
 
single design registration only
Bosnia and Herzegovina
BA
Industrial Design
?
10 yrs
 
unknown
Botswana
BW
Re-Registered GB or ZA Design
L, see GB, ZA
see GB, ZA
 
see GB, ZA
Brazil
BR
Design Registration
A
25 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable
Brunei
BN
see GB
L, B
see GB
 
see GB
Bulgaria
BG
Industrial Design
L
10 yrs
multiple designs registrable
Burkina Faso
BF
see OA
Burundi
BI
Design Registration
L
1, 3, 5 yrs; indefinite
 
unknown

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Cambodia
KH
No design laws
Cameroon
CM
see OA
Canada
CA
Industrial Design Registration
R, G
10 yrs
 
single article, set or variants
Cape Verde
CV
No design laws
Central African Republic
CF
see OA
Chad
TD
see OA
Chile
CL
Industrial Design Registration
A
10 yrs
 
unknown
China
CN
Design Patent
A
10 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable as sets
Colombia
CO
Industrial Design Registration
A
8 yrs
 
unknown
Comoros
KM
No design laws
Congo
CG
see OA
Congo, Democratic Republic
CD
Design Registration
L
15 yrs
 
unknown
Costa Rica
CR
Industrial Design Registration
L
10 yrs
 
multiple designs registration
Côte d'Ivoire
CI
see OA
Croatia
HR
Industrial Design Registration
?
25 yrs
 
unknown
Cuba
CU
Design Patent
A
10 yrs
 
unknown
Cyprus
CY
Design Registration
L
25 yrs
 
see GB
Czech Republic
CZ
Design Patent
A
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable as sets

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Denmark
DK
Design Registration
A
25 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable as sets
Djibouti
DJ
No design laws
Dominica
DM
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Dominica.
Dominican Republic
DO
No design laws

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

East Timor
TL
No design laws
Ecuador
EC
Industrial Design Registration
A
10 yrs
 
single designs only
Egypt
EG
Industrial Design Registration
not defined
15 yrs
unknown
El Salvador
SV
Industrial Design Registration
L
10 yrs
 
unknown
Equatorial Guinea
GQ
see OA
Eritrea
ER
No design laws
Estonia
EE
Industrial Design Registration
?
15 yrs
 
unknown
Ethiopia
ET
No design laws

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Fiji
FJ
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Fiji.
Finland
FI
Design Registration
R (EU)
25 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable as sets
France
FR
Industrial Design Registration
A
25 yrs
multiple designs registrable in the same class

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Gabon
GA
see OA
Gambia
GM
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Gambia.
Georgia
GE
Industrial Design Registration
not defined
15 yrs
 
unknown
Germany
DE
Industrial Design Registration
A
25 yrs
multiple designs registrable in one class
Ghana
GH
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Ghana.
Greece
GR
Design Registration
A, G
25 yrs
unknown
Grenada
GD
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Grenada.
Guatemala
GT
Industrial Design Registration
A, g
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable in one class
Guinea
GN
see OA
Guinea-Bissau
GW
see OA
Guyana
GY
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Guyana.

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Haiti
HT
No design laws
Honduras
HN
Industrial Design Registration
A
15yrs
 
unknown
Hungary
HU
Design Registration
L (EU)
25 yrs
unknown

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Iceland
IS
No design laws
India
IN
Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable in one class, or as sets.
Indonesia
ID
Design Registration
A, G
10 yrs
multiple designs registrable in one class
Iran
IR
No design laws
Iraq
IQ
Industrial Design Registration
A
7 yrs
 
unknown
Ireland
IE
(Industrial) Design Registration
A, G
25 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable in one class
Israel
IL
Design Registration
L
15 yrs
 
"composite" designs are registrable
Italy
IT
Registration of Design or Model
A, G
25 yrs
multiple designs registrable in one class

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Jamaica
JM
(Industrial) Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
single design only
Japan
JP
Design Registration
A
20 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable as sets
Jordan
JO
Design Registration
L
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Kazakhstan
KZ
 
A
15 yrs
 
unknown
Kenya
KE
Industrial Design Registration
not defined
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable
Kiribati
KI
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Kiribati.
Korea (north)
KP
Industrial Design Registration
L
5 yrs
unknown
Korea (south)
KR
Design Patent
R, G
8 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable as sets
Kuwait
KW
Registration of Industrial Design or Model
not defined
15 yrs
 
unknown
Kyrgyzstan
KG
Industrial Design Patent
A
15 yrs
 
unknown

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Laos
LA
Industrial Design Certificate
A
15 yrs
 
multiple designs in the same class are registrable
Latvia
LV
Industrial Design Registration
?
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable
Lebanon
LB
Design Registration
A
50 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable
Lesotho
LS
Design Registration
R, G
15 yrs
 
unknown
Liberia
LR
No design laws
Libya
LY
Industrial Design or Model Registration
not defined
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable
Liechtenstein
LI
 
L (EU)
25 yrs
multiple designs registrable
Lithuania
LT
Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
unknown
Luxembourg
LU
see BX

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Macedonia
MK
Design Registrations; Models
L, G
25 yrs
multiple designs registrable
Madagascar
MG
No design laws
Malawi
MW
Design Registration
L
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable as sets
Malaysia
MY
Industrial Design Registration
L, G
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable in the same class or as sets
Maldives
MV
 
?
unknown
 
unknown
Mali
ML
see OA
Malta
MT
Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
single design registration only
Marshall Islands
MH
 
?
unknown
 
unknown
Mauritania
MR
see OA
Mauritius
MU
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Mauritius.
Mexico
MX
Industrial Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
single design registration only
Micronesia
FM
No design laws
Moldova
MD
 
?
15 yrs
unknown
Monaco
MC
Design Registration
A
50 yrs
multiple designs registrable
Mongolia
MN
Design Patent
R
10 yrs
unknown
Montenegro
ME
No design laws
Morocco
MA
Industrial Design Registration
A
15 yrs
multiple designs registrable
Mozambique
MZ
Industrial Design Registration
A
7 yrs
unknown
Myanmar
MM
No design laws

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Namibia
NA
Design Registration
R
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable as sets
Nauru
NR
No design laws
Nepal
NP
Design Registration
L
15 yrs
 
unknown
Netherlands
NL
see BX
New Zealand
NZ
Design Registration
L
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable as sets
Nicaragua
NI
Industrial Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable in the same class
Niger
NE
see OA
Nigeria
NG
Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable in the same class
Norway
NO
Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable in the same class

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Oman
OM
Design Registration
A
20 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable as a unit

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Pakistan
PK
Design Registration
A
30 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable as sets
Palau
PW
No design laws
Panama
PA
Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
unknown
Papua New Guinea
PG
Industrial Design Registration
A, G
15 yrs
 
single design registration only
Paraguay
PY
Registered Design or Model
A
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable
Peru
PE
Industrial Design Registration
A
10 yrs
 
single design registration only
Philippines
PH
Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
multiple designs of the same concept and in the same class are registrable
Poland
PL
Design Registration
A
10 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable
Portugal
PT
Industrial Design or Model Registration
A
25 yrs
 
single design registration only

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Qatar
QA
No design laws

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Romania
RO
Design Registration
A
15 yrs
multiple designs registrable
Russia
RU
Industrial Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
single design registration only
Rwanda
RW
Industrial Design Registration
?
10 yrs
 
multiple designs appear to be registrable

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Saint Kitts and Nevis
KN
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Saint Lucia
LC
Industrial Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
unknown
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
VC
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Samoa
WS
Industrial Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable
San Marino
SM
Italian design registrations extend automatically to San Marino.
São Tomé et Príncipe
ST
No design laws
Saudi Arabia
SA
No design laws
Senegal
SN
see OA
Serbia
RS
Design or Model Registration
A
25 yrs
multiple designs registrable
Seychelles
SC
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Seychelles.
Sierra Leone
SL
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Sierra Leone.
Singapore
SG
Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable
Slovakia
SK
Industrial Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable in the same class
Slovenia
SI
Industrial Design Registration
A
25 yrs
multiple designs registrable in the same class
Solomon Islands
SB
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Solomon Islands.
Somalia
SO
No design laws
South Africa
ZA
Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable in the same class
Spain
ES
Design Registration
A
25 yrs
multiple designs registrable in the same class
Sri Lanka
LK
Industrial Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
unknown
Sudan
SD
No design laws
Suriname
SR
No design laws
Swaziland
SZ
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Swaziland.
Sweden
SE
Design Registration
L (EEA)
25 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable
Switzerland
CH
Design Registration
L
25 yrs
multiple designs registrable in the same class
Syria
SY
Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
multiple designs of the same kind registrable

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Taiwan
TW
Design Patent
A
12 yrs
 
single design registration only
Tajikistan
TJ
 
?
15 yrs
 
unknown
Tanzania
TZ
 
S
See separate states
 
unknown
Thailand
TH
Design Patent
R
10 yrs
 
must relate to a design for use with only one kind of product
Togo
TG
see OA
Tonga
TO
Industrial Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
single design registration only, but may be used for more than one product
Trinidad and Tobago
TT
Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable as sets
Tunisia
TN
Design Registration
none
15 yrs
multiple designs registrable
Turkey
TR
Design Registration
A
25 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable in the same sub-class or as sets
Turkmenistan
TM
 
?
20 yrs
 
unknown
Tuvalu
TV
United Kingdom design registrations may be re-registered in Tuvalu.

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Uganda
UG
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Uganda.
Ukraine
UA
Industrial Design Patent
A
15 yrs
 
multiple designs and variants thereof registrable as sets
United Arab Emirates
AE
Industrial Design or Model Registration
A
15 yrs
 
unknown
United Kingdom
GB
Design Registration
L (EEA)
25 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable as sets
United States of America
US
Design Patent
R
14yrs
 
multiple designs registrable
Uruguay
UY
Industrial Design and Model Patent
A, G
15 yrs
 
unknown
Uzbekistan
UZ
15 yrs
 
unknown

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Vanuatu
VU
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Vanuatu.
Vatican City
VA
No design laws
Venezuela
VE
Design Registration
A
10 yrs
 
unknown
Vietnam
VN
Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable as sets or different embodiments of one design

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Yemen
YE
Industrial Design Registration
A
15 yrs
 
unknown
Yugoslavia
YU
See Serbia

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Zaire
ZR
See Congo, Democratic Republic
Zambia
ZM
Design Registration
L
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable as sets
Zimbabwe
ZW
Design Registration
R
15 yrs
 
multiple designs registrable as sets

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Part 2 - Super-National Entities

ARIPO
AP
Industrial Design Registration
L
See states
 
See states
Benelux
BX
Design Registration
L
15 yrs
multiple designs registrable
OAPI
OA
Design Registration
L
15 yrs
unknown

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Part 3 - Sub-National Entities

Anguilla
AI
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Anguilla.
Bermuda
BM
 
L, B
see GB
 
see GB
Cayman Islands
KY
No design laws
Falkland Islands
FK
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Falkland Islands.
Gibraltar
GI
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Gibraltar.
Guernsey
--
 
L, b
see GB
 
see GB
Hong Kong
HK
 
 
unknown
 
unknown
Isle of Man
--
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Isle of Man.
Jersey
JE
United Kingdom design registrations may be re-registered in Jersey.
Macau
MO
Industrial Designs and Models
A
25 yrs
 
 
Montserrat
MS
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Montserrat.
Morocco (Casablanca)
--
 
 
unknown
 
unknown
Morocco (Tangiers)
--
 
 
unknown
 
unknown
Netherlands Antilles
AN
No design laws
Saint Helena
SH
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Saint Helena and her dependancies.
South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands
GS
No design laws
Tanganyika
--
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Tanganyika.
Turks & Caicos Islands
TC
 
 
unknown
 
unknown
Wallis and Futuna
WF
 
 
unknown
 
unknown
Zanzibar
--
United Kingdom design registrations extend automatically to Zanzibar.

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Name of Country or Region

Code Table

Kind

Design Novelty

Maximum Duration

Hague Union

Sets or multiple registrations

Part 4 - Disputed Territories

Gaza Strip
WB
Design Registration
L
15 yrs
 
unknown
Kosovo
KS
 
 
 
 
unknown
West Bank
WB
Design registrations may be based on Jordanian law.
Western Sahara
EH
 
 
 
 
unknown

Part 5 - Updates

 
 
 
 
6 May 1998
 
Sunday, 1 January 1995

Copyright © 1997 - 2009 Bill Anderson