The countries of the World Intellectual Property Organisation last week suspended the earliest of the three acts that govern the International Deposit of Industrial Designs.
This decision will streamline the administration of the Treaty, which makes it possible to protect designs in several countries by filing one single application, in one language with one set of fees, in one currency (Swiss francs). The Hague system also simplifies the subsequent management of industrial design rights.
Annulling the 1934 London Act will reduce the complexity of the system and focus greater attention on the 1999 Geneva Act. This enhances the existing system by making it more compatible with registration systems in countries where protection of industrial designs is contingent on examination to determine the acceptability of an application.
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