{"id":459,"date":"2026-08-31T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/design-registration-symbol-eu\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T09:00:00","slug":"design-registration-symbol-eu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/blog\/design-registration-symbol-eu\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u24b9 symbol: how to mark products protected by a registered EU design"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The holder of a registered EU design can now tell the public that the design is registered by placing the design registration symbol \u24b9, a letter D in a circle, on the product. The option exists since 1 May 2025 and is now Article 29 of Regulation (EU) 2026\/715, the codified EU Design Regulation applicable since 1 July 2026. Using it is voluntary, but it affects packaging, labelling and product listings, and it has to be accurate in every market where the product is sold. This guide is for brand owners, product and packaging teams and licensees.<\/p>\n<h2>Key takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\u24b9 is the official notice for <strong>registered<\/strong> EU designs; it may be accompanied by the registration number or a hyperlink to the entry in the EUIPO Register.<\/li>\n<li>It is optional: the Regulation does not make protection depend on it.<\/li>\n<li>It should not be used for pending applications, unregistered designs or lapsed registrations.<\/li>\n<li>National designs in the Member States will get the same symbol once Directive (EU) 2024\/2823 is transposed, by 9 December 2027 at the latest.<\/li>\n<li>On products sold outside the EU, an unqualified \u24b9 can suggest rights you do not hold there.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What does the design registration symbol rule say?<\/h2>\n<p>Article 29 of the <a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/eli\/reg\/2026\/715\/oj\/eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EU Design Regulation (EU) 2026\/715<\/a> allows the holder of a registered EU design to inform the public that the design is registered &#8220;by displaying on the product into which the design is incorporated or to which it is applied the letter D enclosed within a circle&#8221;. The notice &#8220;may be accompanied by the registration number of the design or hyperlinked to the entry of the design in the Register&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>The rule was introduced as Article 26a by <a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/eli\/reg\/2024\/2822\/oj\/eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Regulation (EU) 2024\/2822<\/a>, and that provision was not among those deferred to July 2026, so it has applied since 1 May 2025. When the full reform took effect on 1 July 2026, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.euipo.europa.eu\/en\/news\/the-modernised-eu-design-legal-framework-is-now-fully-applicable\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EUIPO presented the symbol<\/a> as a way to deter infringement and to facilitate the marketing of products incorporating a registered EU design. Recital 31 adds that the notice should be available to design right holders &#8220;and others with their consent&#8221;, which covers licensees and distributors authorised by the holder.<\/p>\n<h2>When can you use \u24b9, and when not?<\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Situation<\/th>\n<th>Can you display \u24b9?<\/th>\n<th>Why<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Registered EU design in force<\/td>\n<td>Yes<\/td>\n<td>Article 29 applies directly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Hague international registration designating the EU, with no refusal<\/td>\n<td>Yes, in our reading<\/td>\n<td>It has the same effect as a registered EU design (Article 155(2))<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>EU design application not yet registered<\/td>\n<td>No<\/td>\n<td>Article 29 refers to a registered design<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Unregistered EU design<\/td>\n<td>No<\/td>\n<td>There is no registration to notify<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Registration surrendered, invalidated or not renewed<\/td>\n<td>No; remove it<\/td>\n<td>The notice would no longer be true<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Spanish or other national design<\/td>\n<td>Not under Article 29<\/td>\n<td>Directive (EU) 2024\/2823 introduces the same symbol for national designs; Member States have until 9 December 2027<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Design registered only outside the EU<\/td>\n<td>Check local law<\/td>\n<td>The EU rule does not govern other countries<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Licensees should have the holder&#8217;s written consent. Products incorporating several designs, such as a chair with a registered frame and a separately registered fabric pattern, can carry several numbers; the symbol should not suggest that the whole product is protected if only one part is.<\/p>\n<h2>How should you mark products and packaging?<\/h2>\n<p>The Regulation sets no size, colour or position for the symbol. Three formats follow directly from Article 29:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>The symbol alone, \u24b9, next to the product or on its label.<\/li>\n<li>The symbol with the registration number, for example &#8220;\u24b9 EU design No [number]&#8221;. This is the most informative option and lets a competitor check the right quickly.<\/li>\n<li>The symbol with a hyperlink or a code leading to the entry in the EUIPO Register. It suits products with a digital label, a QR code or an online listing, and stays accurate if you keep the link updated.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Article 29 speaks of displaying the notice on the product itself. Nothing in it prevents you from also informing the public on packaging, manuals or online listings, provided the information is accurate. Because a registered EU design must be renewed every five years, up to 25 years (Article 13), the marking plan should follow the renewal calendar: a lapsed registration means changing the artwork.<\/p>\n<h2>How do you avoid misleading buyers in markets without a registration?<\/h2>\n<p>This is the point most packaging teams miss. Many companies print one box for several regions. If the design is registered in the EU but not in Mexico, Morocco or Kenya, an unqualified \u24b9 on products sold there may suggest a design right that does not exist in that country.<\/p>\n<p>Inside the EU, the <a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/eli\/dir\/2005\/29\/oj\/eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Unfair Commercial Practices Directive 2005\/29\/EC<\/a> treats as misleading a commercial practice that deceives, or is likely to deceive, the average consumer about the trader&#8217;s rights, expressly including &#8220;ownership of industrial, commercial or intellectual property rights&#8221; (Article 6(1)(f)), where this is likely to cause a transactional decision the consumer would not otherwise have taken. Outside the EU, national consumer and unfair competition laws apply, and some markets have their own rules on marking. In practice:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Qualify the notice: &#8220;\u24b9 EU design No [number]&#8221; tells buyers where the right exists.<\/li>\n<li>Use region-specific labels where the registration map differs.<\/li>\n<li>Do not use \u24b9 to suggest protection for a design you have only applied for.<\/li>\n<li>Remember that \u24b9 refers to a design, not to a trade mark; keep \u00ae for registered marks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What this means for your business<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Map which products incorporate a registered EU design, with numbers, owners and expiry dates.<\/li>\n<li>Decide the format: symbol alone, with number or with a link to the Register.<\/li>\n<li>Brief packaging, e-commerce and licensees with one written rule, including when the symbol must be removed.<\/li>\n<li>Check the registration map for every market where the same packaging is sold.<\/li>\n<li>Use the change as a reason to register designs you are already marketing without protection.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>If your designs are not yet registered where you sell, our team for <a href=\"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/services\/industrial-designs\/\">industrial design registration in the EU, Latin America and Africa<\/a> can file them through the EUIPO, national offices or the Hague System.<\/p>\n<h2>Where companies get the design symbol wrong<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Marking too early.<\/strong> Printing \u24b9 on packaging while the application is still pending.<\/li>\n<li>Forgetting renewals. A registration that lapses at the five-year mark leaves the symbol on shelves without a right behind it.<\/li>\n<li>One box for every market. An unqualified symbol on products sold where no design is registered.<\/li>\n<li>Uncontrolled licensees. Distributors applying the symbol to variants that the registration does not cover.<\/li>\n<li>Treating the symbol as protection. \u24b9 informs; it does not replace registration, monitoring and enforcement, which our <a href=\"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/services\/legal-ip\/\">IP enforcement team<\/a> coordinates when copies appear.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>Is it mandatory to use the \u24b9 symbol on products with a registered EU design?<\/h3>\n<p>No. Article 29 of Regulation (EU) 2026\/715 says the holder &#8220;may&#8221; inform the public by displaying the letter D in a circle. Protection comes from registration, not from the notice. The symbol is a voluntary tool to warn third parties and to show buyers that the product&#8217;s appearance is protected in the EU.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I use \u24b9 for a Spanish national design?<\/h3>\n<p>Article 29 covers registered EU designs only. Directive (EU) 2024\/2823 introduces the same notice for national registered designs, and Member States must transpose it by 9 December 2027. Until Spain adapts its Design Law 20\/2003, check with an adviser before marking products protected only by a Spanish design.<\/p>\n<h3>Can a licensee or distributor display the design registration symbol?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, with the holder&#8217;s consent. Recital 31 of the Regulation says the notice should be available to design right holders and others with their consent. Put the permission in writing, specify which products and registrations it covers and require the licensee to stop using the symbol if the registration lapses.<\/p>\n<h3>Can IP Global Guard review our product marking and design portfolio?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. We check which products are covered by registered designs in each market, propose a marking rule for packaging and listings, and file the missing registrations through the EUIPO, the OEPM or the Hague System, directly where our professionals are entitled and otherwise through qualified representatives, with local correspondents in Latin America and Africa.<\/p>\n<h2>How IP Global Guard can help you mark and protect your designs<\/h2>\n<p>A symbol is only as reliable as the registrations behind it. 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 our <a href=\"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/coverage\/\">coverage across Europe, Latin America and Africa<\/a>, so the marking on your products matches the rights you hold in each market.<\/p>\n<p>Send us your product range and the countries where each product is sold. We will map your registered designs, flag where \u24b9 would be inaccurate and propose the filings that close the gaps. <a href=\"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/contact\/\">Talk to our design team<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article is general information, not legal advice, and does not replace an assessment of your specific case.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/eli\/reg\/2026\/715\/oj\/eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) 2026\/715 on European Union designs (codification), OJ 30 March 2026<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/eli\/reg\/2024\/2822\/oj\/eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) 2024\/2822 amending Regulation (EC) No 6\/2002 (18 November 2024)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/eli\/dir\/2024\/2823\/oj\/eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EUR-Lex, Directive (EU) 2024\/2823 on the legal protection of designs (18 November 2024)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.euipo.europa.eu\/en\/news\/the-modernised-eu-design-legal-framework-is-now-fully-applicable\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EUIPO, The modernised EU design legal framework is now fully applicable (1 July 2026)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/euipo.europa.eu\/tunnel-web\/secure\/webdav\/guest\/document_library\/contentPdfs\/law_and_practice\/EUDR-legislative-changes\/DLR-Summary-narrative-phases-I-and-II_en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EUIPO, EU designs legislative reform: summary of changes applying from 1 July 2026<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/eli\/dir\/2005\/29\/oj\/eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EUR-Lex, Directive 2005\/29\/EC on unfair commercial practices (11 May 2005)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Holders of registered EU designs can mark products with \u24b9. When the symbol may be used, how to apply it to products and packaging, and how to avoid misleading buyers abroad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1087,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[40,68,98],"class_list":["post-459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industrial-designs","tag-africa","tag-euipo","tag-hague-system"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}