China joined the Hague Agreement on International Registration of Industrial Designs (hereinafter referred to as the Hague Agreement) on February 5, 2022, which came into effect on May 5, 2022. In order to ensure the effective implementation of the Hague Agreement, the National Intellectual Property Administration formulated the Interim Measures for Handling Business Related to Hague Agreement (hereinafter referred to as the Measures), which will take effect on May 5, 2022.  

The Measures aim to provide reference for applicants who apply for international designs and handle related businesses. The applicant may submit the application for international registration of industrial designs directly to the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization, or forward the application for international registration of industrial designs in English through CNIPA, and pay the relevant fees in full. 

According to statistics, on May 5 (Beijing Time), when the Hague Agreement came into effect in China, a total of 49 Chinese enterprises submitted 108 international design applications, among which CNIPA received 58 international design applications submitted by Chinese applicants. As of 5:30 pm Geneva time, 50 international design applications were submitted directly by Chinese applicants to the World Intellectual Property Organization.