On 28 July 2026 the EUIPO published the first EU designs registered with video and 3D representations: an animated mobile game interface and a dice tray with a phone holder. In the first half of July it received 37 EU design filings using video and 20 using 3D. For tech and AI companies, animated design registration in the EU is now a working option for interfaces, icons and digital products, provided the filing is planned with its limits in mind.
Key takeaways
- The first video EU design protects an animated graphical user interface (GUI) for a mobile game; the first 3D one protects a physical product.
- Video and 3D filings were 57 of 4,386 designs received in the first half of July 2026, around 1.3%.
- EU law expressly covers movement, transitions and animation, and GUIs, but not computer programs themselves.
- Each design uses one type of representation: up to ten static views or one video or 3D file.
- Offices outside the EU, and the Hague System, may not accept a video design as a basis for later filings.
What did the EUIPO publish?
According to the EUIPO’s news of 28 July 2026, the first video-represented EU design protects an animated GUI for a mobile phone game developed by Lessmore GmbH (Germany). The first 3D-represented design, owned by Arranged BV (Belgium), protects a dice tray with a mobile phone holder that can be viewed from every angle. Both followed the final stage of the EU design reform, which applied from 1 July 2026.
| Representation used (1 to 15 July 2026) | Designs received | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Video | 37 | 0.8% |
| 3D | 20 | 0.5% |
| Static views | 4,329 | 98.7% |
| Total | 4,386 | 100% |
Shares are our calculation from the EUIPO figures. Early uptake is small, but it shows where the new formats help: animation and visual transitions for video, overall product shape for 3D.
What can an animated design registration in the EU protect?
Regulation (EU) 2026/715, the codified EU Design Regulation, defines a design in Article 4(1) as the appearance of a product, “including the movement, transition or any other sort of animation” of its features. Article 4(2) adds that a product can be physical or non-physical and expressly includes graphical user interfaces, but excludes computer programs.
In practice, the design protects how the interface or animation looks and moves, not the code behind it. Under Article 19, protection covers the features shown visibly in the application. Article 20(2)(d) also lets the holder act against creating, downloading, copying or sharing files that record the design in order to make the product, which matters for 3D models.
How to file a video or 3D EU design
The EUIPO’s representation guidance sets the technical rules:
- Static representation: up to ten views, JPEG, 2 MB each.
- Dynamic or animated representation: one OBJ, STL or MP4 file per design, up to 20 MB.
- One type of representation per design; you cannot mix a video with static views.
- Visual disclaimers can mark features that are not claimed, and must be consistent throughout.
- The Fast Track procedure is only available with static views.
Official fees are the same for every format: EUR 350 for one design and EUR 125 for each additional design in a multiple application, plus EUR 40 if you defer publication (Annex I of the Regulation). Deferment can last up to 30 months from filing (Article 62), useful for interfaces not yet released.
Lessons for tech and AI companies
- Decide what the design is. A video protects the sequence as shown; trim it to the movement that makes your interface distinctive.
- Consider static key frames as separate designs. If a later dispute or a foreign filing turns on a single screen, a static filing may be easier to use. This is a strategy choice, not a legal requirement.
- Plan international filings first. The EUIPO warns that jurisdictions outside the EU may not recognise dynamic or animated designs when you claim priority from an EU design.
- Do not count on the Hague System yet. WIPO’s Working Group has left 3D and video formats for a future session (document H/A/46/1).
- Protect the code separately, through copyright and contracts, since the program itself is outside design law.
What this means for your business
- Audit your digital products: onboarding animations, loading sequences, icons that change state and AR or 3D objects may all qualify.
- File before public release. Your own disclosures are only disregarded for 12 months before filing (Article 8).
- Align design filings with launch dates across Europe, Latin America and Africa so that priority deadlines are not lost.
If you want your interfaces protected as EU designs and extended abroad, our team for EU design registration, including animated and 3D designs can prepare the representations and the filing plan. Where the product relies on AI or software, our AI and digital assets team covers the code and data side.
Where companies get animated designs wrong
- Filing a long demo video. Everything visible becomes part of the design, which can make it easier for competitors to stay outside it.
- Mixing formats. Each design must use one type of representation.
- Assuming worldwide value. A video EU design may not support priority claims in countries that only accept static views.
- Launching first. A public release more than 12 months before filing destroys novelty.
Frequently asked questions
Can I register an animated user interface as an EU design?
Yes. Since the reform, EU law defines a design as including movement, transitions and other animation, and lists graphical user interfaces among protected products. Since 1 July 2026 you can file one MP4 video per design with the EUIPO. The protection covers the visible appearance and movement, not the underlying computer program.
How many EU designs have been filed with video or 3D so far?
The EUIPO reported that in the first half of July 2026 it received 37 EU design filings using video and 20 using 3D, out of 4,386 designs in total. On 28 July 2026 it published the first registrations: an animated mobile game interface and a dice tray with a phone holder.
Can I use a video EU design as priority for filings in other countries?
You can claim priority within six months, but the EUIPO itself warns that jurisdictions outside the EU may not recognise dynamic or animated designs. The Hague System does not accept video or 3D files yet. Check each target country before choosing a video-only filing.
Can IP Global Guard file animated or 3D designs for my company?
Yes. We help you define what to protect, prepare compliant video, 3D or static representations and file EU designs before the EUIPO, directly where our professionals are entitled to act and otherwise through qualified representatives, coordinating filings in Latin America and Africa from a single point of contact.
Protect your interfaces with IP Global Guard
New formats only help if the filing captures what makes your product recognisable and still works in your other markets. IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, manages design portfolios with one strategy and one billing relationship across more than 25 jurisdictions in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Within the same group, META Channel also advises on the AI Act.
Share a screen recording or 3D file of the product and your launch plan by country. We will tell you which format to file and how to keep priority abroad. Talk to our design team.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and reflects the position on its publication date.
Sources
- EUIPO, A new way to represent EU designs: EUIPO publishes first video and 3D registrations (28 July 2026)
- EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) 2026/715 on European Union designs (30 March 2026)
- EUIPO, Design representation
- EUIPO, Fast Track conditions
- WIPO, Hague Union Assembly, document H/A/46/1 (31 March 2026)
