This tutorial walks you through the steps involved in filing an international design application online. Get started! If you would like to provide feedback or report issues, please Contact Hague.
Try our eHague filing demo to create a test version of an international design application from start to finish. Note: You cannot access the demo version of eHague using your regular WIPO Account. You need to create a ‘dummy’ WIPO Account, using different credentials:
Important! Do not submit any confidential data, documents or real payment information.
The E-Filing Workbench helps you create new Hague System applications and manage your existing applications (both sent and unsent). In the future, the Workbench will help you manage the whole lifespan of your Hague registration, from filing to expiration.
Your applications are automatically stored and saved in real-time. That means you can always come back and complete them later on.
Using the three tabs at the top of the main dialog box, you can create new applications (File), view applications already sent (Filed applications), or edit and manage unfinished applications that have been saved (Drafts).
The features of the three tabs are described in detail in the following section.
The top navigation bar gives you quick access you all of the main features of the Hague eFiling system. From left to right they include:
Depending on the tab selected (New, Filed application(s), or Draft(s)) the available actions for each will appear in this window. More information for each action is available in the following sections.
When you create a new application, you have three options:
By default, the option is set to "New". By simply leaving that option selected and then clicking "Confirm", you will create a new international application from scratch.
Is this your first international application using the EFiling Workbench? Make sure you have selected "By using an empty form", click "Confirm", and then just jump ahead to "the E-Filing interface section" of this tutorial.
Once you have created at least one international application, you can save time by reusing some of the data previously entered in your previous application(s). You then have the option to select either "New application using data from a filed application" or "New application from a draft". Select a reference number and the elements of the application you wish to reuse. Click "Confirm".
The "Filed application(s)" tab allows you to retrieve and view all the online applications you have previously filed by means of the EFiling interface. In the column "Status," you can trace the current status of your application. Statuses include "Examination", "Registered" or "Abandoned".
To sort the search results, click on a criterion. One click will sort the data in ascending order (numerically or alphabetically as applicable). Click once again for descending order.
The "Filed application(s)" tab allows you to download an acknowledgement of receipt of your application by WIPO by clicking on the PDF (
) icon.
The "Draft application(s)" tab allows you to retrieve unfinished applications that have been saved.
To sort the applications using a particular field, click on a sorting criterion. One click will sort the data in ascending order (numerically or alphabetically as applicable). Click once again for descending order.
Under the "Draft application(s)" tab, click on the Delete (
) button to delete an unsent application. Warning: this operation is permanent and cannot be reversed.
To resume editing of a saved application, click on the "Edit" (
) button. You will be directed to the EFiling interface where your application will be opened under the "Applicant" tab.
From the top navigation bar provides you quick access to various areas of the eFiling sytem:
The international application is divided into sections. Each section is displayed in the application section navigation at the top of the screen, right below the top black navigation bar. The application section navigation is persistent throughout the application, giving you easy access to any section at any time and from any point in the application.
Editable sections are in dark grey while non-editable sections are in light grey. Essential sections that have not yet been completed are in red.
Not all sections will be visible for all applications, as this will change on the specifics of each application. For example, if your application does not designate a Contracting Party that allows for Related Design, the Related Design section will not be editable and will be displayed in light grey (as shown in the above image).
The WIPO Application reference is always clearly displayed at the top of the application form.
The international application is divided into section titles, such as Applicant or Designation. Sections remain closed until they are expanded. To expand a section, click on the section title or the section name in the application section navigation. In the example above, the Applicant section has been expanded.
Each section has various possible actions, which are accessible to via the action buttons. These appear before the data entry area of each section. In the above example, there are three action buttons available: Add Applicant, Add Representative, or Add Correspondence. Clicking on an action button will bring up the data entry screen, as below.
For each line of data entered in each section, there are various actions possible. The most common actions are Edit, accessible through the pencil button (), and Delete, accessible through the trash can button (). Other actions are possible depending on the section you are editing (such as moving a reproduction up or down in the list). In the screen above, the Edit and Delete action buttons are visible.
When applicable, an information area will be displayed above action buttons and section line items. The type of information displayed will be specific to the section.
General information about a section will be displayed, such as the example above. This information may include directions on how to complete the specific section. This information is contained in a grey box.
When a warning is displayed, the information will be contained in a white box with a yellow warning label, as shown in the above image.
Error messages will be contained in a white box with a red error label, as shown in the above image. An international application cannot be filed unless all errors are corrected.
Make sure to complete the compulsory fields in the first section (name, address etc.). It is strongly recommended to enter an e-mail address.
Next, using the scroll-down menu, indicate at least one entitlement for the applicant.
Then, select one Applicant's Contracting Party (ACP), if necessary.
If you need help with legal concepts, such as "Entitlements", or "Contracting Party", refer to the contextual help: a “Help” link to the right of the name of an item where help is available.
The "Designation(s)" section allows you to indicate in which Contracting Party(ies) you seek protection for your design(s).
The white box will indicate the designation(s) that are currently in the application, if any. Click on the “Change selection” action button to the far right, as shown in the image below, to select or remove a Contracting Party.
Tick the box next to the Contracting Party that you would like to designate. You can click on the “Deselect all” or “Select all” action buttons at the top right to deselect or select all Contracting Parties.
Click on the information icon (
) to find what effect the designation of a particular Contracting Party will have on the data you need to enter.
When you have designated all of the desired Contracting Parties, click the “Ok” action button at the bottom right to save your designations.
When you open the Design(s) section for the first time for a new application it will appear as the image below.
The Design(s) section has three subsections:
General information and Locarno Class
The first subsection allows you to specify the class, under the Locarno Classification, to which the product or products in relation to the industrial design belong. To do so, simply click on the inverse triangle action button at the far right and select a class from the list.
Design(s)
After selecting a Locarno Classification, create design(s) by clicking the “Add design” action button on the bottom left as shown in the image below.
You will be prompted to enter a Locarno sub-class (optional) and a product indication (mandatory) for each design as shown in the image below.
After selecting the above, click on the Save button at the bottom right.
If your application contains multiple designs with the same Locarno sub-class and product indication, click on the “Duplicate” action button to avoid entering the same information more than once. The duplicate action button is shown in the image below in a green box.
After you have entered multiple designs, you may change the order in which they are submitted. To do so, either click on the move up (˄) or move down (˅) action buttons. These buttons will appear by hovering your mouse over the line you would like to move and are directly to the left of the copy action button. Click on the up and down move action buttons until you are satisfied with the ordering. The move action buttons are shown below in a green box.
From the list view, use the "Edit" icon () to correct the Locarno sub-class or the product indication.
Once you have added at least one design, you can upload reproductions. Note that you cannot proceed with your application until at least one reproduction has been uploaded for each design.
To preview how your reproductions will look on a printed sheet of paper, click on the "Preview Reproductions" action button.
Reproduction(s)
To upload reproductions, click on the edit action button on the row which corresponds to the design for which you would like to upload reproductions. Then, click on the “add image (.jpg or .tif)” button on the far right, as shown in the image below.
You may upload multiple reproductions at the same time. The system will then run two tests:
1. The system will automatically ensure your reproductions comply with the file format and size requirements indicated. Once the system accepts the files, you will see them listed as the below screen.
2. The system also automatically ensures that resolution and dimensions (height, width) of your images are compliant with the particulars for electronic communications. For example, if the image is too large, the system will automatically resizes it. If automatic transformations were made to the reproduction(s) you uploaded, click on the “Transformations carried out” link in the “View” column of the screen shown in item 1 above to view them. The transformations carried out will be displayed as the screen below.
If you are unhappy with any of the transformations carried out, you may delete one or more of the uploaded reproductions. To do so, tick the box in the far left column of each reproduction you would like to delete. As soon as one box is ticked, a new action row will appear at the top of the table as shown below. Click on the “Delete” button to delete the selected reproductions or the “Cancel” button to cancel the deletion.
You may change the order in which a reproduction is submitted by hovering your mouse over the row of the reproduction you would like move and clicking the move up (˄) or move down (˅) action buttons as shown in the green box in the image below.
Specifying a Type of View (Legend)
You may indicate a legend to specify the type of view (i.e. front view, back view, etc.) of the reproduction you have provided. To do so for a particular reproduction, click the edit action button on the far right of the row for the reproduction you would like to specify the view. The below screen will appear.
Select a type of view from the list, or, if you do not find an appropriate type of view select ”Other” from the list and manually enter your own type of view (the interface limits your input to 50 characters). After selecting the view from the list, click the save button.
You will then see the view you selected show in the “Type of view” column for the specified reproduction as shown in the screen below.
Preview Reproduction from Reproductions Table
You may preview exactly how your reproduction will appear once printed by clicking on the thumbnail of your reproduction. You will see details of the reproduction. An example is provided below.
When at least one reproduction has been uploaded for each design, other options will be available in the application navigation menu and you may navigate through your entire application.
In the Publication section, the Contracting Parties you have designated in your application may affect your deferment options. The Information Area will display information about publication options for your specific application and the help text (
) will provide you with contextual help. In the example shown in the image below, the application cannot be deferred because Iceland is designated.
To edit the date of your publication, click the Edit button to the far right, as outlined in a green box in the image above. You will then see the screen below.
Select your desired publication date and then click the “Save” button, as outlined in a green box in the above image.
To identify the person who is signing your application, tick the box to the left of the appropriate name and click the “Save” button as seen in the bottom right of the above screen.
If the application is signed by a representative, tick the box to the left of the representative’s name and then click on the “Add document” button to attach a power of attorney to the application (in PDF format) as highlighted in a green box below.
After your power of attorney is uploaded, as the image below shows a new row will appear at the top showing the name of the file and two action buttons: view or delete (outlined in a green box in the image below). Please note that your file will be automatically renamed by the system in the format “SIGN_###.pdf”, where ### is replaced by a series of numbers, as shown in the image below.
Once you are satisfied with your signature(s), click the blue “Save” button at the bottom right of the screen.
If you have not yet provided an e-mail address, you must complete the “Name of contact person” and “E-mail address of contact person” fields before you can save the signature screen.
In the “Application reference” field, you may enter your personal reference number for your records. Please note that this number is not published.
Once you are ready to make payment, click on the “Payment/Valid.” button at the top right, just below the application navigation bar and to the right of the Summary button. The “Payment/Valid.” button is available from any point on the screen (as shown in the image below outlined in a green box).
If you have not completed all of the required sections for your application, the “Payment/Valid.” button will not be actionable. This button will be greyed out as shown in the image below (outlined in green).
Before sending your application, you should check it carefully by viewing a summary of it. You can do so by clicking on the "Summary" button, which is directly to the left of the “Payment/Valid.” button. An example summary screen is shown below.
Please remember that once sent, your application cannot be amended.
Once you proceed with payment, you will see a screen presenting the item-by-item costs as well as the total amount you have to pay at the time of filing.
You will have a final opportunity to ensure that your application is in order by following two steps as shown in the screen below. For step one, click on the “Summary” button to view a complete summary of your application to confirm it is correct. For step two, you may preview your reproductions by clicking on the “Preview reproductions” button.
Once you have confirmed your application is ready to send, tick the box next to the sentence in red letters that states, “I confirm that I have reviewed by application and its contents, including reproductions and accompanying documents.” Then click the blue “Send” button at the bottom right, as shown in the screen below.
The next screen allows you to choose your payment method.
Click on the dropdown menu to display the available payment methods and choose one. If your WIPO Account is linked to a Current Account, the only option available is the Current Account.
If your WIPO Account is not linked to a Current Account, your options include payment by credit card, bank transfer, or PayPal.
Payment by Credit Card
To pay by credit card, select the credit card option, verify the total amount is correct, and click the blue Continue button as shown in the screen below.
On the next screen, read the notice about browser encryption and the terms and conditions of payment. Tick the box next to the “I agree with the terms and conditions.” line. Simply enter your credit card details and click on the blue “Pay” button at the bottom when you are ready to proceed.
After payment has been processed, you will see a success screen as shown below.
Clicking on the “Go Back” button at the top right will return you to your eHague workbench, where you will see all of filed applications. To see the acknowledgement of receipt for the application you just filed, or for a previous application, hover you mouse over the row containing the desired application and click on the blue “Acknowledgement of receipt” button to download an acknowledgement of receipt for that application.
Payment by WIPO Current Account
If you have a WIPO Current Account, it will automatically be selected on the Payment Details screen, as shown below.
Verify the total amount is correct and click on the blue “Continue” button. After payment has been processed, you will see details of your payment as shown in the screen below. If the payment status, shown in the far right column, indicates “Received,” your payment was received successfully.
To check the status of your payment by current account, click on the “Activity” link in the top left portion of the screen (outlined in green below).
You will then see a screen listing all of your outstanding or received payments. To view details of a transaction, click on the “View” button in the far right of each row, as in the example below (outlined in green).
On the next screen, you will see all the details of your payment. In the example below, the payment via WIPO Current Account has been received and is processing.
Clicking on the “Go Back” button at the top right will return you to the summary page of your payment activities. Once you are back in your eHague workbench, you will see all of your filed applications. After your Current Account payment has been processed the acknowledgement of receipt for the application you just filed will be available for download. From this screen, you may also view the acknowledgement of receipt for previously filed applications. To do so, hover you mouse over the row containing the desired application and click on the blue “Acknowledgement of receipt” button to download an acknowledgement of receipt for that application.
Payment by Bank Transfer
To pay by bank transfer, select the bank transfer option from the payment method drop down, verify the total amount is correct, and click the blue Continue button as shown in the screen below.
You will then see a screen with information for WIPO’s bank account, as shown below.
Should you like to pay another way before you have made the bank transfer, scroll down to the section entitled “I Don’t Want to Pay by Bank Transfer But Want to Pay by Another Means” and click the “Pay another way” button.
After doing so, you will be taken to the Payment Details page of the transaction, where you can see that the payment has been canceled (outlined in a green box below).
To continue with a different payment means, click the “Go back” button. This will return you to the screen confirming sending of the application. After clicking on the blue “Send” button at the bottom right, you may choose a new payment method.
Payment by PayPal
To pay by bank PayPal, select the PayPal option from the payment method drop down, verify the total amount is correct, and click the blue “Continue” button as shown in the screen below.
You will then be taken to the PayPal payment screen. Login with your PayPal credentials or enter your credit card information and create a new PayPal account to proceed with PayPal payment.
Once payment via PayPal has been successful, you will be returned to the eHague workbench. To see the acknowledgement of receipt for the application you just filed, or for a previous application, hover you mouse over the row containing the desired application and click on the blue “Acknowledgement of receipt” button to download an acknowledgement of receipt for that application.
This part of the tutorial covers the sections of your application that are related to the designation of certain Contracting Parties. Depending on the Contracting Party(ies) which you designate, you may have to provide additional mandatory content, and/or you may have the possibility of submitting additional optional content.
If you designate the United States of America, the "Creator" section will enable you to submit an oath or declaration of the creator. In addition, the “Claim (US)” option in the menu will become available and two additional options will become available in the “Optional Content” section: “Economic Status Indication” and “Eligibility for Protection”.
In the "Creator" section, for each creator identified, you will be prompted to submit an oath or declaration. To do so, you may either attach a PDF document by clicking the "Attach an existing declaration (PDF)" button or make a new declaration online by clicking the "Make a new declaration". Please note you must complete all the required fields for the “Make a new declaration” button to become accessible.
Once you click on the “Make a declaration” button, the declaration text will appear on the screen. The creator must type in their signature between the two slashes and click the blue “I declare” button in the bottom right.
When you have finished entering a creator and the associated declaration, click on the blue “Save” button. Once you click the “Save” button, the information about the creator and declaration is recorded.
To view the recorded declaration, hover your mouse over the desired row and click on the “Preview” button. This will allow you to download a PDF of the declaration. Click on the trash icon to delete the creator and associated declaration from your application.
This section will allow you to submit a claim. To do so, first click on the “Add” button, as outlined in green below.
Indicate an article in the blank space provided and click on the blue “Save” button.
In the Optional Content section, an Eligibility for Protection option will be available should your application designate the US. This allows you to submit an Information disclosure statement. To do so, click on the "Add document (PDF)" button and choose your file.
You may repeat this action if you have multiple documents to upload.
To view the uploaded file(s), hover your mouse over the desired row/file and click on the “Preview” button. This will allow you to download a PDF of the file you uploaded. Click on the trash icon to delete the creator and associated declaration from your application.
Please note that when you upload submit one or more documents in this section, the file names will automatically be renamed.
This section allows you to indicate an economic status in order to benefit from a reduction of the United States of America individual designation fee. To indicate an economic status, click on the edit button (the pencil icon) as shown below.
Then, choose the applicable economic status. If you choose a micro-entity status, you will be prompted to attach the certification in PDF format. In this case, links are also provided to the appropriate forms on the USPTO website.
If you designate the Republic of Korea or Japan, the “Related Design” option will be available in the navigation menu as well as a “Declaration Concerning Exception to Lack of Novelty” in the Optional Content section.
This section will allow you to specify a relation to a principal design. To do so, first select the Contracting Party concerned. Then, from the drop-down list, select the designs that should be recorded as "Related designs". Finally, identify the principal design by filling in the three last fields "Reference type", "Reference" and "Principal design".
In the “Optional Content” section, you will be able to complete a “Declaration concerning exception to lack of novelty.” First, click on the “Add” button as shown in the screen below.
In the next screen (as shown below), select the Contracting Party concerned from the drop down menu and then the design(s) to which your declaration will apply. If you wish, you may add a supporting PDF document. When you are finished, click the blue “Save” button at the bottom right.
If you designate the Republic of Korea, you may upload priority documents (PDF) in the "Priority" section (Important information about the submission of priority document).
The International Bureau will forward the submitted documents to the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO).
If you designate a Contracting Party that requires you to provide a description of the characteristic features of your design, the "Description" item in the navigation menu will turn red and there will be a red warning displayed when you open the “Description” section. This will also be the case for Contracting Parties for which WIPO recommends that you submit a description.
Once in the description section, fill in the box with your description and click the "Save" button when you are satisfied.
The counter at the bottom of the section will tell you by how many words you have exceeded the limit of 100 (above which an extra fee applies).
If you designate a Contracting Party that requires the creator to be identified, or a statement related to the creator submitted, the creator item in the navigation will be displayed in yellow and there will be a yellow warning within the section (as shown below).
To add a creator, click the “Add” button, fill in the creator’s name and address, and indicate which design he/she created.
As is the case for applicants, each saved creator is displayed in a row with basic details of the creator shown initially. If you would like to see more details for a creator, click on the right-facing triangle at the far left of the row, as outlined in green in the screen below.
The "Description" and "Creator" sections, described in the part of this tutorial dedicated to certain designations, may always be filled in. If they are not required by a Contracting Party, they are optional.
To appoint a representative, expand the “Applicant” section and click on the “Add Representative” button, as shown in the screen below outlined in green.
Fill in the representative’s name, address (including city and country), and e-mail address. Click the blue "Save" button as shown in the image below.
To indicate a correspondence address, expand the “Applicant” section and click on the “Add Correspondence” button, as shown in the screen below outlined in green.
Fill in the correspondence address (including city and country), name, and e-mail address. Click the blue “Save” button as shown in the image below.
If you want to claim priority of an earlier filing under the Paris Convention, expand the “Priority (Optional)” section and click on the “Add” button as shown below.
Fill in all required fields of the “Priority” section and click the blue “Save” button as shown below.
If you wish to claim temporary protection for industrial designs exhibited at an international exhibition, expand the “Exhibition (Optional)” section and click the “Add” button as shown below.
Fill in all required fields and click the blue “Save” button as shown below.
Each saved exhibition is displayed in a row with detailed information. If you would like to edit or delete a row, click the pencil icon (edit) or trash icon (delete).
After filing an international application by using eHague, if the International Bureau of WIPO detects irregularities an invitation to correct the irregularity will be sent. Examiners may also issue other types of communications during the examination, such as observations for which no reply is required.
Such communications are always sent by postal mail. When the application was initially filed through eHague, the communication is immediately available in the eHague Workbench. Moreover, an e-mail alert is sent to inform the applicant that a new communication is available.
For security reasons, no link is provided in the e-mail alert.
Once you receive an e-mail alert, log in to eHague and locate the "EFiling communication" tab, which is directly to the right of the “Draft(s)” tab as outlined in green in the screen below.
The "EFiling communications" interface allows for the retrieving of and replying to communications sent by the International Bureau concerning international applications.
There are three principle tabs in this view:
There are also tabs to return to the eFiling workbench and view this tutorial.
To locate an invitation to correct irregularities, make sure the "Action required" tab is highlighted in light grey. If not, click on it.
Under "Action required," you will find a list of invitations to correct irregularities or minor defects for which an action is expected.
You can download the notification by clicking on the PDF icon under the "Letter" column.
In the above screen, the “Action(s)” contextual buttons appear to enable you to execute various actions when you hover your mouse over a desired row:
1. "Reply" opens the form to reply to the invitation to correct certain irregularities or minor defects online;
2. “History” allows you to review the history of the communications concerning each international application;
3. "Pay online" allows you to pay the required fees where the payment is needed; and
4. “Acknowledgement of receipt” allows you to download the acknowledgement of receipt for the highlighted application.
Note – The reply form is used to send an official response that will be kept in the application file. Please carefully draft and review thoroughly your response before sending. For questions, please contact the examiner assigned to the file by e-mail or by phone indicated in the notification.
Using the reply form (as shown in the image below), you can:
1. Type your response in the text field;
2. Attach documents in PDF format (power of attorney/declaration of the inventor/micro-entity certification form/other documents); and
3. Attach reproductions by indicating the number of the design and reproduction (i.e. 2.3 = design number 2, reproduction number 3) and uploading images in JPG or TIF format.
Once all required actions are completed, click the "Submit your reply" button.
This tab contains observation letters and notifications of abandonment of international applications. The number of unread communications is shown in parentheses. These communications do not require any action.
Once read, the communications are available in the "No Action Required" tab for 30 days. After that, they are moved automatically to the "Archived" section.
This section contains communications concerning international applications that are either recorded or abandoned, and therefore cannot be the subject of any reply or other communication. You will also find in this section communications for which no action was required. Such communications are moved to the "Archived" section 30 days after they have been read.
