The EU IPO commences phase I of its procedural changes to the (now called) Registered European Union Design (REUD) system on 1 May 2025, following the introduction of the European Design Regulation (Amending Regulation 2024/2822). This introduces some notable (but not yet fundamental; these come in phase II on 1 July 2026) changes to the prosecution of design applications before the EUIPO. We summarise these below:
- Multiple design Applications – unity of class and official fees
Applicants will be able to include up to 50 designs in a multiple design application and will no longer be restricted by the requirement for 'unity of class'. Designs for different products, proper to any Locarno class, can be included in the same application.
Fees for each additional design included in a multiple application are Euro 125. Whilst this will result in a saving for designs 2-10, designs 11-50 see an increase from the former fee structure.
- Registration & Publication – official fees and deferment
The registration and publication fees are now merged into one fee of Euro 350 (1st design) and Euro 125 (each additional), paid at filing.
If deferment of publication is required, there is an additional fee of Euro 40 for the 1st design and Euro 20 for each additional design in a multiple application, paid at filing. Publication is then automatic at the end of the 30-month deferment period (from the filing date or priority date, if there is one), unless the Applicant requests publication in advance. Should the Applicant not wish the design application to be published, the REUD must be actively surrendered*. The deadline to actively surrender, to be sure there is no publication, is 27 months (from filing or the date of priority, if there is one).
*does not apply to applications filed before 1 May 2025, where the old regime still applies.
- Renewals – fees and renewal period
REUDs will expire on the day of the relevant 5-year anniversary from the filing date, and not at the end of the month on which the anniversary fell (as before). Official renewal fees have increased significantly and are now payable per design*:
Euro 150 after 5 years
Euro 250 after 10 years
Euro 400 after 15 years
Euro 700 after 20 years
*for designs due for renewal up to 31 October 2025, if renewed before 1 May 2025, the old (lower) fees will apply.
- Registrable transactions
The fees for recording a registrable transaction (transfer, licence, security interest etc.) have been abolished.
Comment
We have implemented changes to our procedures and fee structure to deal with these changes. We will also ensure that applications filed under the 'old regime', where the old procedures will continue to apply, will follow the old procedures until they become fully redundant in due course. Our clients can be assured that we will remind them when publication needs to be requested or, where required, of the option to actively surrender a design application to avoid automatic publication.
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