WIPO China: Hague Yearly Review 2023

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has released the latest edition of the Hague Yearly Review providing comprehensive facts and figures on, and analysis of, the use of the Hague System in 2022.

Demand for design protection saw double-digit growth, with China’s 2022 accession to WIPO’s international design registration system fueling a surge in international design applications. In 2022, WIPO received 7,973 international applications for design protection under the Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs. This represents an 18.8% increase on the previous year. Furthermore, applications contained a record number of designs, reaching 25,030 and marking an 11.2% growth. The overall increase was primarily driven by a significant growth in designs originating from China, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

The accession of China and Jamaica in 2022 has increased the number of Hague members to 77. Applicants can now obtain design protection within the territories of 94 countries.

In 2022, Germany remained the leading user of the international design system, with an 11.6% increase on the year to 4,909 designs. China – a new member –secured second place by seeking protection for 2,558 designs. Italy recorded an impressive growth of 18%, overtaking the US to rank third with 2,414 designs, while the US saw a decline of 8.9% down to 2,412 designs. Switzerland followed in fifth place with 2,178 designs.

Procter & Gamble, a US-based company, became top filer in 2022, with 687 designs in published applications, displacing Samsung Electronics of the Republic of Korea. China’s XIAOMI MOBILE SOFTWARE ranked No. 9 with 251 designs.

The EU remains the most designated Hague member in international applications, with 5,370 designations containing 17,396 design. The EU has held top position since 2010. After the EU, the UK had the second most designations with 15,281 designs, followed by Switzerland with 8,890, the US with 7,292, and Türkiye with 4,608. Since May 2022, it has been possible to designate China, which received 1,491 designations in international applications containing 3,372 designs, placing it among the top 10 most designated member states.

Source: WIPO

Editor: IPR Daily-Ann