The aim of these articles is to keep our Clients and Associates updated about developments in the sector of Intellectual Property in general and our firm in particular. In this way, we wish to provide a broader view of the tools that the field of trade marks, domain names, patents, designs and related rights offers to entrepreneurs to enhance and protect their efforts in researching and developing new solutions and ideas.
Renewal Fees for Registered EU (Community) Designs Due to Increase from 1 May 2025
The EU Design Reform which will enter into force on 1 May 2025 introduces, among others, important changes to the renewal process for Registered EU Designs.
By understanding the new rules and carefully considering the renewal periods, design holders can strategically time their renewals to minimize costs and ensure continued protection of their intellectual property.
One of the most significant changes brought by these new rules is the increase in official fees for the renewal of Registered EU (Community) Designs.
The fee changes will be effective from 1 May 2025 and are as follows:
While not all designs normally reach their fourth renewal period, it cannot but be noted that the increase for this last renewal period is particularly expensive.
However, the cost of renewing a design will depend on when the renewal request is submitted and whether it falls under the old or new fee scheme, so that:
- Renewal requests filed before 1 May 2025 will follow the old fee scheme as outlined above
- Renewal requests filed on or after 1 May 2025 will be subject to the new fees, regardless of the payment method or processing time.
The positive aspect is that for all those cases which are renewed before 1 May 2025, even if their renewal due date would fall later, there is the possibility to still take advantage of the lower fees under the old system and avoid the significantly higher fees that will apply afterwards.
As a matter of fact, considering that you can renew a design starting 6 months prior to the due date, if you have an EU design due for renewal up to the end of October 2025 you can still take advantage of the lower fees but only on condition that you proceed with renewal before the end of April 2025.
We therefore strongly advise design holders with designs that can be renewed prior to 1 May 2025 to file their renewal applications as soon as possible and by 30 April 2025 at the latest rather than waiting until the end of the renewal period.
If you haven’t provided us with your instructions yet, please don’t delay!
Of course, we at INTERPATENT would be very happy to help you check your docket for any EU designs that would benefit from this advantageous opportunity and, in general, we would be delighted to assist you for renewal.
Please contact us at email@interpatent.com.