WIPO member states adopt the Design Law Treaty

Riyadh, 22 November 2024 - Member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) adopted the Design Law Treaty (DLT) at a diplomatic conference in Riyadh, after almost two decades of negotiations.

Treaty will make it easier, faster and more affordable for designers around the world to protect their designs at home and abroad.

On behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Treaty was signed by Josip Merdžo, Director of the Institute for Intellectual Property of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ratification and accession to this agreement will ultimately be realized through a legal procedure in the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH.

WIPO Director-General Darren Tang said at the end of the diplomatic conference that the adoption of this treaty is not only a victory for designers, but also a boon for multilateralism.

“In May, we came together to deliver the WIPO Treaty on IP, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge. Six months later, we came together again to deliver the Riyadh Design Law Treaty. We have demonstrated that multilateralism can change the world for the better,” said Director General Tang.

Design Law Treaty (DLT) makes it much easier for designers, in particular individual and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to register their work. DLT deals with the procedures for obtaining design protection, not with issues such as the legal definition of a design or the terms of protection, which remain within the competence of the contracting parties.

Among other things, the Riyadh Treaty will help to make the framework for design protection procedures more predictable, less complex and more affordable. It will be easier for designers to submit applications in several different jurisdictions.

About 900 delegates, observers and other stakeholders from around the world participated in the work of the diplomatic conference, held in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, from 11 to 22 November.