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Five takeaways from the recent MARQUES-WIPO meeting
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 Uwe Over of Henkel, First Vice-Chair of the MARQUES Council, has described a recent meeting between MARQUES representatives and WIPO officials as “very fruitful and satisfying”, and set out five topics for future work.
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United States and Japan join the Hague System
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 The United States of America and Japan have joined the Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs, bringing membership in the Hague System to 64 contracting parties. Members of the MARQUES Designs Team welcome the news.
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Both nations deposited their instruments of accession at the WIPO headquarters in Geneva on 13th February. The Hague Agreement is due to come into force in both on 13th May.
“Designers in Japan and the USA can now readily protect and promote their industrial designs in dozens of other countries around the globe that are Hague members,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry in a statement. “And designers in those countries now have easier access to protection in two of the largest global economies. This is a win for businesses and designers everywhere and signals a major advancement for one of WIPO’s premier registry services.”
David Stone of Simmons & Simmons in London, Chair of the MARQUES Designs Team, said: “Users of the Hague System have long understood the significant costs savings available to users – with the US and Japan joining, the system becomes even more useful, particularly for individual designers and small enterprises. Hopefully other countries and Asia and the Americas will also now see the benefits for the businesses, and sign up.”
According to WIPO statistics, 7.1% of the world’s design applications were filed in 2013 with the national offices in the United States (3.8%) and Japan (3.3%). Some 12.9% of all design applications worldwide were filed by applicants from the United States (8.2%) and Japan (4.7%).
David Greenbaum of Edwards Wildman, a member of the MARQUES Designs Team, said: “Under the Hague Agreement, United States design patents will have a 15-year term, and United States applicants will be able to file with WIPO or the USPTO a single international design application that can register up to 100 designs in over 62 territories, thereby improving applicant efficiency and create potential cost savings. The United States will continue to grant design rights in the form of a US design patent whether an application is filed pursuant to the Hague Agreement or a United States design patent application.”
The USPTO Final Rules are expected to become effective on 13th May.
Canada, China and Russia are also expected to join the Hague Union soon.
For more information, see WIPO’s announcement.
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Planning the future for geographical indications
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A recent conference looked at the lessons learned from a consultation on geographical indications for non-agricultural products. Miguel Angel Medina, outgoing Chair of the GI Team and a member of the MARQUES Council, attended the meeting and provides a report.
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TM5 agree ID List Project and dedicated search tool
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The TM5 partners reached agreement on several trade mark and design initiatives at their meeting held in Japan last December.
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Harmonised Database of Goods and Services update
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All EU IP offices have now joined the Harmonised Database of Goods and Services, after France’s INPI signed up on 2nd February.
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Field Notes: Gesture trade marks
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Gesture trade marks have appealed to everyone from banks to sports stars. Sasha Mandakovic Falconi files the latest Field Notes report from the IP Outer Borders Team
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Upcoming MARQUES events
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MARQUES Media Roundup
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Events are scheduled in Buenos Aires, Zurich, Vienna and The Hague. Which ones will you attend?
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 Recent posts on the MARQUES blogs include a recent design decision in The Hague, a BOIP ruling on national costume and an (im)possible dispute in Finland.
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Issue 050
