100 Years of Design Protection
A symposium on the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs
On November 6, 1925, an international treaty was signed in The Hague, Netherlands, entitled “The Hague Agreement Concerning the International Deposit of Industrial Designs”. This landmark treaty established the Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs, which now comprises 82 members covering 99 countries. Over the past century, the Hague System has simplified the international protection of industrial designs, helping creators, innovators, and businesses safeguard their work across borders.
To mark the 100th anniversary of the Hague Agreement, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), in cooperation with the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands, will host a symposium at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Kingdom of the Netherlands, on November 6, 2025.
Only participants who have received a confirmation email will be granted access to the Symposium at the Peace Palace on 6 November. For any inquiries, please contact hague100@wipo.int
November 6, 2025
- Location: The Hague, Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Language: English
- Format: Hybrid (in-person and online)
Find out more
Program
Times are indicated in Netherlands Standard Time (GMT +2)
8.00 – 9.00 Registration
9.00 – 9.30 Opening ceremony
Daren Tang
Director General, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva
Hugues Derème
Director General, Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP), The Hague
Erwin Nijsse
Director-General Business Policy and Innovation of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, The Hague
9.30 – 10.45 From International in Theory to International in Practice: the Maturing of the Hague Agreement
Moderator: Catherine Chammartin
Director, Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI), Bern
João Negrão
Executive Director, European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), Alicante
Kitamura Hiroki
Director-General, Patent and Design Examination Department (Physics, Optics, Social Infrastructure and Design), Japan Patent Office (JPO), Tokyo
Hongxiu Wu
Director General of the Design, Examination Department, China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), Beijing
Nae-Han Yoon
Director, Presiding Judge, Design Sector, Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board, Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP), Daejeon
10.45 – 11.10 Coffee break
11.10 – 12.25 From International to Truly Global
Moderator: Denis L. Bohoussou
Director General, African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), Yaoundé
Hesham Saad Alarifi
Executive Director of Partnerships and International Cooperation, Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP), Riyadh
Le Quang Lan
Director of the Market Integration Directorate, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Jakarta
Júlio César Castelo Branco Reis Moreira
President, National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), Río de Janeiro
Winnet Mupaso
Principal Examiner, Department of Deeds, Companies and Intellectual Property, Zimbabwe Intellectual Property Office, Harare
12.25 – 12.40 Interlude: Screening of a short film and presentation of the commemorative book “A Century of Design Registration”
12.40 – 14.00 Lunch break
14.00 – 15.15 From Design to Success: Users' Testimonies
Moderator: Andréa Springer
Acting Managing Director, World Design Organization (WDO), Montreal
Monica Leenders
IP Business Partner Oral Healthcare, Mother and Child Care, Philips N.V., Amsterdam
Oladayo Matthew Faniran
Design Owner, DeeTwelve Technologies, Lekki
Burak Erbab
Home Appliances Design Manager, Vestel, Manisa
Yang Xing
Deputy Manager and Head of the Expert Group, Intellectual Property Department, Beijing Roborock Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing
Marlos Mazzeu Silveira
Technology Development, Intellectual Property Department, Embraer S.A., São José dos Campos
15.15 – 15.40 Coffee break
15.40 – 16.55 Where to Now? Ideas for the Development of the Hague System
Moderator: Grégoire Bisson
Director, The Hague Registry, Brands and Designs Sector, WIPO, Geneva
Philipe Kutschke
Member of the Design Committee, European Communities Trade Mark Association (ECTA), Munich
Tracy-Gene Durkin
Chair, Designs Committee, International Trademark Association (INTA), Alexandria
Yuiko Matsumura
Member of JPAA International Activities Center, Japan Patent Attorneys Association (JPAA), Tokyo
Shaohui Yuan
Vice President, Patent Attorney, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Beijing
The representative from AIPPI, International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI), Zürich (TBC)
Guillaume Henry
USPTO
First Deputy Reporter General, International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI), Zürich
16.55 Closing remarks
Hugues Derème
Director General, Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP), The Hague
Grégoire Bisson
Director, The Hague Registry, Brands and Designs Sector, WIPO, Geneva
Tjerk Opmeer
Deputy Director-General, Business Policy and Innovation of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, The Hague