EU Design Attorney: Protection for Your Design Throughout the EU
One application, protection across 27 member states: The EU design is the fastest way to protect your design throughout Europe. We’ll file the application for you with the EUIPO—and let you know whether national, EU-wide, or both is the right approach.
Overview
What is an EU design (Community design)?
The EU design—officially known as the “Union design” since 2025, formerly the “Community design”—protects the appearance of your product throughout the European Union. With a single application filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), your protection applies in all member states.
For anyone selling beyond Germany—whether online, through exports, or with plans to enter other markets—this is often a more cost-effective solution than filing multiple individual national applications. Our page on design law provides a comprehensive overview, and we explain how to file an application in Germany on the page about design applications with the DPMA.
Decision
Germany, the EU—or both?
Registered Design (DPMA)
Protection limited to Germany. This makes sense if your market is clearly here—and can be strategically advantageous in certain situations, such as when determining the venue for litigation against imports.
EU Design (EUIPO)
EU-wide protection with a single application. The right choice for Europe-wide distribution, e-commerce, and growth plans.
Combination
In some cases, it’s worth doing both at the same time. We’ll tell you when this dual strategy is worth the effort—and when it isn’t.
A Unique Feature for Fashion
The Unregistered EU Design – Protection Without Registration
There’s an important distinction, especially for the fashion industry: An unregistered EU design comes into existence automatically as soon as you make your design publicly available within the EU—for example, at a trade show, in a lookbook, or in an online store. No registration required, no fees at all.
The catch: This protection is strictly limited in time and only protects against deliberate imitation, not against independent parallel creations. For fast-moving collections that last only one season, however, it can be just right. For your true bestsellers, on the other hand, we recommend registration—it offers stronger protection and is enforceable for a longer period.
Your team for questions regarding right of reply
Attorney
Juliette Sarvan de Castro
Attorney
Patrick Rehkatsch
"Experienced. Strategic. Assertive.
We solve your legal challenges."
Attorney
Juliette Sarvan de Castro
Attorney
Patrick Rehkatsch
Your team for enforcing
right of reply.
Current
EU Design Reform: What's Changing Right Now
EU design law is currently undergoing a comprehensive modernization—the largest reform in over two decades. The Community Design has become the EU Design, protection has been extended to digital and animated designs, and the application process will be fully digital through the EUIPO in the future. You can read about what this means for you in our detailed article on the EU design reform.
Decision-Making Guide
When is the EU design right for you?
The rule of thumb is simple: As soon as your market extends beyond Germany, the EU design registration is usually the more economical and safer choice. Typical situations in which we recommend an EU design registration:
Online Retail
You sell to several EU countries through your online store, Amazon, or Etsy. Counterfeiters are rarely limited to Germany—and neither should your protection be.
Exports & Sales
You ship to retailers or partners in other EU countries. A single EU design covers all of these markets.
Messen & Launches
You showcase new collections at European trade shows. In this context, early, broad-based protection is worth its weight in gold—before the idea gets stolen.
Here's How the EU Registration Process Works
Strategy & Research
We clarify the scope of protection and review the prior art.
Reproduction & Registration with the EUIPO
We prepare the designs and submit them digitally to the EUIPO—as a multiple-design application, if desired.
Registration & Renewal
Once your trademark is registered, your protection applies throughout the EU. We'll keep track of deadlines and renewals for you.
Do you want your design to be protected throughout the EU?
We'll determine which approach is right for your market and file your Community design with the EUIPO. Start with a no-obligation initial consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Design Registration
Like a German registered design, a Community design is initially protected for five years and can be renewed in five-year increments for up to a maximum of 25 years.
The EUIPO charges application and renewal fees; you can apply for multiple designs at a discounted rate. The exact cost depends on the number of designs and the term of protection—we’ll work out the details for you during our initial consultation.
Usually not—the EU design registration also covers Germany. In certain situations (e.g., when enforcing rights against imports), it may make sense to file an additional national application.
Yes. Existing Community designs remain valid and, since the reform, are automatically referred to as Union designs. You don't need to do anything.
Yes—the reform explicitly extended protection to non-physical products such as graphical user interfaces, animated designs, and virtual designs.