Written by Vilija Viešūnaitė, partner of the Law firm TRINITI

On 13 May of this year, the US and Japan joined the international design registration system that will make registration of industrial designs in these markets cheaper and easier than ever before.

Currently, several successful Lithuanian start-ups are operating in the US market, "Friday Lab" being one of them.  It is likely that updated and easier access to international registration of designs will help other Lithuanian start-ups to venture into international markets.

International registration of designs in the US or Japanese markets will cost around EUR 1885, and the whole process will take no more than a few months. Applications will have to be submitted to the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organisation ( WIPO).

There are several ways to protect one's design – through submitting a national application in each individual state or by using an international registration. However, the international registration of the design is usually more expedient and several times cheaper, and that makes this option more attractive to start-ups who have launched businesses in international markets only recently. Administration of this registration is more straightforward – all jurisdictions are visible in one place, which saves money.

Unlike the registration of the design, the registration of trademarks in the US, by taking advantage of the international trade mark registration option, has been available since 2003. To date, more than 100 Lithuanian enterprises have their trademarks registered in the United States, and a total of over 1,000 of international applications for trademark registrations have been submitted by Lithuanian entities. The sheer number of trademarks registered justifies the international registration system and speaks of its advantages.