Brazil adheres to the Hague System

On February 13 was published that Brazil has joined the Hague System for International registration of designs. The Brazilian government deposited its instrument of adhesion to the 1999 Geneva Act of The Hague Agreement at WIPO on the last week of December 2022, after approval by Brazilian Congress.

The Hague System will enter into force for Brazil on 1 August 2023, setting the country as the second in Latin America (after Mexico) to enter this international agreement. Consequently, becoming the 71st contracting party to the 1999 Act and the 79th member of the Hague Union.

The Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs, since 1925, provides a practical business solution, for registering up to 100 designs in 96 countries by filing a single application internationally.

In order to ensure that the international procedure mechanism of the Hague System is adapted to each country's own requirements, the Contracting Parties to the Hague System may make certain declarations. In the case of Brazil, among other, some of these are: “The possibility of including a design (with up to 20 variants) per application”, that “The applications of interested parties cannot be submitted through the National Institute of Industrial Property” and that “The maximum duration period for this protection is 25 years”.

This means that, for example, an interested party from another country can obtain international protection for its design in Brazilian territory, through the WIPO Hague System, which will help the expansion of their business in the entire region.