NOVEMBER 2008
Locarno classification set to be reformed
As design protection becomes more common, a number of problems with the Locarno classification have become apparent. David Stone reports on an attempt to update the system
| One-minute read |
| The Locarno classification system for designs comprises 32 classes and 223 sub-classes and is recognized in 49 countries. The system aims to help both design applicants and examiners in searching but it is unevenly applied and, moreover, relates to functionaility rather than the appearance of products, which is what is protected by design law. This makes searching more complex, time-consuming and expensive than necessary. Now a Working Group is to look at how the Locarno classification can be improved and a pilot group will develop a new system for searching based on visual features. This new classification system needs to be clear, precise, self-contained, easily accessible, intelligible, durable and objective. |
Many IP owners readily acknowledge that searching for registered designs is difficult, slow, expensive and inexact. In part, this is due to the international convention that governs the classification of products to which designs may be applied – the Locarno classification. A recent meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Special Union for Industrial Designs, which administers the Locarno classification, agreed to form a pilot project to try to address some of the difficulties inherent in the system.
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