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.
