The comparative statistical data for the 2025 calendar year is now available on the ID5 website. Users are invited to consult the PDF for detailed statistics. For quick visualisation they can also explore the interactive Power BI file for quick access to data on design applications and registrations, including breakdowns by jurisdiction, priority documents exchanged, and the time required to examine and register designs.

EUIPO’s 2026 guidelines updates applicable as of 1 July made EU design procedures more flexible and digital, with mandatory electronic filing, fewer formal requirements, and up to 50 designs per application without class limits. New refusal grounds now cover improper use of Paris Convention emblems and badges of public interest, while minor amendments to immaterial details are allowed and some invalidity proceedings can be prioritised. EUIPO also clarified that official online sources may be used as evidence, and warned that dynamic or animated representations may not be recognised outside the EU, so static views may be safer for priority purposes. For more information please view the recorded webinar aired on 9 June at the EUIPO Learning Portal.

In March 2026 the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) revised its guidance to provide more flexibility for design applicants in the field of computer-generated interfaces and icons. It clarified design patent eligibility for computer-generated interfaces/icons, remove the need to visually depict the "article of manufacture" in drawings if the title/claim specifies its association with a computer/system. For more information on the changes please visit the USPTO website.

At the ID5 Midterm Meeting on 13 - 14 May, hosted online by CNIPA, the Partner offices reviewed progress across collaborative projects, such as on digital design guidance, communications, new technologies, e-learning, statistics, website improvements and project revisions. During the New Technologies exchanges the offices discussed advances in AI-powered design search and examination tools, alongside legislative reforms and practice changes aiming to modernise design protection for digital, dynamic and virtual designs while simplifying filing procedures and improving examiner efficiency. Two new Hague related projects are under implementation, one of them study led by CNIPA to share example cases of international design applications that were accepted by all Partner offices. The inter-office discussions led by MOIP and USPTO on Hague focused on examination results of applications filed with several ID5 partners focusing on parts of designs that are not within the scope of protection.

The Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP) has released a new guidebook in English, From Creation to Protection: A Practical Guide to Korean Design Rights & Examination. This free online resource is intended to assist international companies and designers in navigating the design registration process in the Republic of Korea. The guidebook outlines the full procedure from filing to registration under the Korean Design Protection Act. It presents key information on the examination system and explains the legal framework for design protection in the Republic of Korea. A central focus of the publication is to address common issues that may arise during the application process. It provides guidance on matters such as unclear drawing, applications containing multiple designs and the use of the “Related Design” system. By offering practical explanations of these requirements, the guide aims to help overseas applicants better understand the process, avoid unnecessary errors, and navigate the Korean design system more efficiently. The guidebook is available through the ID5 website and MOIP’s official website.

The ID5 has published a Handbook offering comprehensive guidance on how design novelty is assessed by examiners across the five Partner Offices. All five offices conduct substantive examination proceedings to determine the novelty of a design, with the comparison between a submitted design and prior designs forming the core of this process. While this comparison is fundamental, it is by no means simple — each office has developed its own distinct practices and criteria for reaching a determination. With the goal of fostering greater clarity and transparency, the project mapped and compared how each ID5 office approaches the question of what makes a design novel and how that assessment is conducted in practice. The Handbook sets out the relevant legal framework and illustrates examination practices through four concrete examples: • Designs applied to different articles • Designs applied to different articles sharing a common function in the claimed parts • Animated graphical user interfaces (GUIs) • Component and partial designs The guide is intended as a practical reference for examiners, legal practitioners, and rights holders looking to understand how design novelty examination works in the ID5 offices.

The design registration number or design indication mark indicates that the design is registered and communicates the fact that design rights have been obtained. This could potentially help discourage infringement by third parties and showcase the robustness of design protections. Between 2022 and 2025 the ID5 offices carried out a comparative analysis of their approaches to marking registered designs. The findings have just been made public. The project collected information on the frequency of use of design indications, and their benefits and merits. The project examined how often design indications are used and assessed their advantages and value. It highlighted variations across countries in several areas: whether marking is mandatory or simply recommended, what information can be included in the indication, and whether the presence or absence of registered design indication affects the possibility of claiming damages. The study also touched upon the new European system allowing design system users to indicate registered designs with the letter D enclosed within a circle – Ⓓ –, which has been in force since 1 May 2025. The project explored whether the ID5 Partner Offices should adopt a common registered design marking system. However, it determined that implementing a unified ID5 system would be premature at this stage. Instead, each office will continue developing and managing its own marking practices according to its specific needs and circumstances. Nevertheless, the ID5 offices indicated their interest in establishing a harmonized marking system in the future, when feasible, to strengthen design rights promotion and increase public awareness of design protection systems.