United States To Join the Hague Union
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced that the United States has satisfied the last step in the membership process for the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs (Hague Agreement) with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The treaty will go into effect for the United States on May 13, 2015.
The benefits of joining the treaty include the following:
1. Patent term of 15 years from issuance
2. A single international design application that can contain up to 100 designs and allow for registration in over 62 territories (soon to be 64)
The USPTO will soon publish the Final Rules governing USPTO processing and examination of international design applications filed pursuant to the Hague Agreement.
