EU Design Law Reform 2025

EU Design Law Reform 2025 – What Changes Are Ahead

Significant Changes Effective May 1, 2025

In October 2024, the EU approved a comprehensive reform of European design law. The previous Community Design Regulation (CDR) has been replaced by the new Regulation on Union Designs (UDR). Additionally, the previous Design Directive has been revised. EU member states must first, however, implement these new regulations for the changes to take effect. The primary objective of this reform is to align EU design law with the demands of the digital age, render design registrations more cost-effective - particularly for medium-sized and smaller enterprises—and simplify the registration process for designs.

The EU has established a structured roadmap for the implementation of the UDR, which is divided into two distinct phases:

As of May 1, 2025, certain provisions of the UDR have become operational,
additional provisions of the UDR are set to take effect only from July 2026.

Below are the most significant developments that took effect on May 1, 2025

Registration of Union Designs Only Through EUIPO

Design applications may now only be submitted to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and can no longer be filed through national offices. Key points include:

All characteristics necessary for identifying the object must be presented in a sufficiently clear manner for the EUIPO to acknowledge the filing date (refer to Art. 36(1)(c) UDR; see also Art. 38 UDR).
The application fee must be remitted within one month of submission for the filing date to be recognized (refer to Art. 38 UDR).

The acknowledgment of a filing date is essential for the protection of a design, as it establishes protection against subsequent designs or models.

Easing Multiple Applications

The previous "one-class" requirement articulated in Art. 37(1) CDR is now eliminated in the amended version of Art. 37(1) UDR. Consequently, Applicants can now submit multiple applications for designs spanning different Locarno classes. This modification enables Applicants with designs across various Locarno classes to benefit from the EUIPO’s advantageous fee structure for multiple design submissions.

As a result of this, the EU legislator has introduced a cap of a maximum of 50 designs within a single multiple application (Art. 37(1) UDR). In comparison: the Hague Agreement governing international multiples applications allows for a maximum of 100 designs.

Extension of Protection Scope Post-Registration

The scope of design protection has been broadened by the UDR provisions as of May 1, 2025. Through a redefinition of the term "design," the EU has legally established that dynamic and fluid design features, such as animated designs, are indeed protectable. This brings the legislation into line with the previous practices of the EUIPO.

Protection Against Infringements Through 3D Printing

The new design law offers more effective safeguards against emerging forms of infringement. For example, the holder of a design may now take action against vendors providing software used to create infringing 3D prints (Art. 19(1)(d) UDR).

New Transit Regulation

In the same manner as for Union trademarks, design holders can now also stop the transit of infringing products through EU territory and their movement in all customs situations — even if they are not intended for the EU market (Art. 19(3) UDR).

New Marking Symbol „D in a circle“

The registered Union design now allows its holder to mark the design with a D- symbol, i.e., a “D in a circle”. This registration symbol is comparable to the ® symbol known from trademark law, raising awareness among third parties regarding existing rights.

Change in Fee Structure

As of May 1, 2025, a new fee structure is in force, this partially consolidating individual fees while also introducing flat fees. A comprehensive overview of the new fee framework is available through the EUIPO.

Fee Structure EUIPO

May 1, 2025