EU Designs Practice Alert: Upcoming changes to renewal deadlines and renewal fees

From 1 May 2025, new rules on EU registered design renewals will come into effect. Design holders should take note of the following changes, which could directly impact their EU design filing strategies and the optimal timing of any upcoming renewals.

New renewal periods

The new EU Design Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/2822) will alter the way renewal periods for EU registered designs (“EURDs”) are calculated.  

• Under the new rules coming into effect from 1 May 2025, EURDs will be due for renewal on every 5^th anniversary of the registration expiry date, up to final expiry on the 25^th anniversary. This is a change to the previous position where expiration occurred on the last day of the month in which a design was due to expire.
• Despite this, owners of EURDs will continue to benefit from a six-month renewal “grace” period during which it will be possible to renew the design, although a ‘late renewal’ fee supplement will apply. The “grace” period will be calculated from the day after the expiry date of the EURD under the new rules.

Renewal requests received before 1 May 2025 will be processed and the new renewal dates calculated based on the old rule. Conversely, any EURDs renewed on or after 1 May 2025 will have their next renewal period calculated in accordance with the new rule.

Higher renewal fees

Significant increases to the renewal fees are on the horizon for EURDs. Also effective from 1 May 2025, the new EU Regulation imposes the following fees for the consecutive periods of renewal:

The new, higher renewal fees will apply to EURDs renewed on or after 1 May 2025.

This change will be particularly steep for holders of long-standing EURDs in their penultimate or final renewal periods, which will see fee increases of 166.7% and 288.9% respectively.

Timing your renewal: Before or after 1 May 2025?

At the EUIPO, the renewal window for EURDs opens 6 months prior to expiry. Therefore, for EURDs falling due for renewal between 30 April 2025 and 30 October 2025, rights holders have the opportunity to benefit from the current lower renewal rates by filing for early renewal of their registrations before 1 May. Those falling due on or after 1 November 2025, which will only be eligible for renewal from 1 May 2025 at the earliest, will be subject to the new renewal periods and higher renewal fees.

We recommend that all EURD holders review their portfolios to check for any upcoming renewals falling due within this ‘transitional’ period and filing for renewal of any eligible registrations as soon as possible before 1 May 2025.

This article was co-authored by Natalia Martosinska, Trainee Solicitor at CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP.