EU Design Reform 2026: Seven Practical Actions Businesses Should Take Now

On 1 July 2026, the modernised European Union design framework became fully applicable.

This completed the most significant reform of the EU design protection system in more than two decades. The changes are intended to make design registration more suitable for modern products, digital interfaces, animation, virtual goods and technology-driven businesses.

For businesses, this is not simply a procedural update for intellectual property departments.

It creates an opportunity to reconsider what the organisation regards as a protectable design.

A design may be found in the shape of a physical product, but it can also exist in packaging, icons, dashboards, screen layouts, animations, digital controls and graphical user interfaces.

The most important question is therefore no longer simply:

Have we protected the appearance of our physical product?

Businesses should also ask:

Which visual elements of our customer experience create commercial value, and have we protected them appropriately?

The EU Design Reform Is Now Fully Operational

The first phase of the reform introduced revised terminology, substantive legal changes, the new design notice symbol and updated rules affecting enforcement, multiple applications and ownership.

The second phase, applicable from 1 July 2026, completed the supporting procedural framework and introduced modernised representation rules.

The EUIPO can now accept representations including drawings, photographs, videos, computer-generated images and computer modelling. An application may contain up to ten static views of a design or one file representing a dynamic or animated design. The applicant must use one visual format rather than combining static images and video in the same design representation.

This is particularly important for software developers, gaming businesses, automotive companies, medical-device manufacturers and organisations whose customer experience depends heavily on digital interfaces.

Why the Reform Matters Beyond the Legal Department

Design rights are sometimes treated as a narrow legal tool relevant mainly to fashion, furniture or consumer products.

That view is increasingly outdated.

A modern business may invest substantial resources in:

• SaaS dashboards;

• mobile-app layouts;

• digital icons;

• animated transitions;

• vehicle display systems;

• wearable-device interfaces;

• digital product configurations;

• virtual objects;

• packaging systems; and

• customer-facing control panels.

These assets may influence purchasing decisions, customer loyalty and product differentiation.

IP Meridian already advises technology companies, software developers and digital businesses on protecting eligible interfaces, icons, dashboards and digital product designs across the EU, UK, Poland and international markets.

The reform gives businesses a good reason to bring product, design, marketing and legal teams together and review those assets systematically.

1. Identify the Designs Your Business Is Already Creating

The first step is an internal design audit.

Ask each relevant department to identify visual assets created during the previous 12 to 24 months.

This exercise should include more than final products. It may reveal:

• unreleased product variants;

• interface concepts;

• screen sequences;

• packaging alternatives;

• icon libraries;

• digital controls;

• product components;

• animation sequences;

• seasonal collections; and

• virtual versions of physical products.

The purpose is not to register everything.

It is to understand where commercially important designs are being created and whether the company has a repeatable process for identifying them before launch.

A useful audit should also confirm who created each design, whether contractors were involved and whether the business has the necessary ownership documentation.

2. Decide Whether Static Images Are Enough

The representation filed with the EUIPO is central to the scope of the registration.

A physical product may be adequately represented using several static views. A changing interface or animation may require a dynamic representation to communicate what makes the design distinctive.

Businesses should consider:

• Does the commercial value lie in one screen or in a sequence?

• Is movement part of the distinctive appearance?

• Are different states of the interface materially different?

• Should individual icons be protected separately?

• Would separate applications provide clearer protection?

The ability to file a video or animated representation is valuable, but it does not mean that every animation should be included in one application.

The filing strategy must still communicate one coherent design clearly.

3. Be Precise About What the Registration Shows

The modernised framework emphasises that protection concerns the visible features shown in the application.

In practical terms, careless representations can lead to narrower or less useful protection than the applicant expected. The EUIPO specifically explains that protection is limited to what is shown, while features for which protection is not sought may be visually disclaimed.

Before filing, consider:

• whether colour is commercially important;

• whether the design should be filed in colour or monochrome;

• which background elements should be excluded;

• whether multiple variants require separate designs;

• whether portions of the product should be disclaimed; and

• whether the application captures the features competitors are most likely to copy.

The objective is not simply to obtain a registration certificate.

It is to obtain a registration that corresponds to the commercial design the business actually needs to protect.

4. Protect Digital Interfaces Before They Become Public

Public disclosure can affect the protection available for a design.

Product teams should therefore introduce a design-review stage before:

• launching a website or application;

• releasing a product demonstration;

• presenting at an exhibition;

• publishing screenshots;

• opening public beta access;

• releasing promotional videos; or

• submitting products to an online marketplace.

The review does not need to delay product development.

A practical process might involve a short design-protection checkpoint when the interface or product reaches a sufficiently stable stage.

At that point, the business can decide whether to file, maintain confidentiality for longer or record the reasons why registration is not commercially justified.

5. Review How Design Files Are Shared

The reform also clarifies design enforcement in the context of digital manufacturing.

Creating, downloading, copying or sharing files that embody a protected design may fall within the scope of infringement. This is especially relevant to 3D-printing files and other digital instructions capable of reproducing a protected product.

Businesses should review:

• access to CAD and 3D files;

• supplier permissions;

• manufacturing agreements;

• employee access controls;

• contractor confidentiality obligations;

• digital marketplace monitoring;

• licensing restrictions; and

• procedures when a supplier relationship ends.

Protecting the registration while allowing uncontrolled access to the underlying production files may leave an avoidable gap in the company’s wider IP strategy.

6. Coordinate Designs with Copyright, Trademarks and Patents

Registered designs do not replace other intellectual property rights.

A single product may involve several forms of protection:

• design rights for its visual appearance;

• copyright for original artwork, graphics or software elements;

• trademarks for the product name, logo or distinctive brand elements;

• patents for new technical functionality; and

• contracts governing ownership, licensing and manufacturing.

For example, a software company might use:

• trademark protection for the platform name;

• copyright protection for source code and original graphics;

• registered designs for the interface;

• confidentiality obligations for unreleased features; and

• patent protection where the product includes qualifying technical innovation.

The strongest strategy is usually the one that considers these rights together rather than treating each application as an isolated legal exercise.

7. Build a Long-Term International Design Strategy

A registered EU design can provide protection across the EU, but businesses should separately consider the UK and other international markets.

Depending on the commercial plan, protection may involve:

• an EUIPO application;

• a UK registered design;

• a Polish national application; or

• an international design application through WIPO’s Hague System.

IP Meridian supports coordinated design protection through EUIPO, UKIPO, the Polish Patent Office and WIPO, helping businesses avoid inconsistent filing strategies across their main markets.

Portfolio budgeting also matters.

The current EUIPO filing fee begins at €350 for the first design and €125 for each additional design in a multiple application. Registered EU designs initially remain valid for five years and may be renewed in five-year periods up to a total of 25 years.

Not every design should automatically be renewed for the maximum period.

Renewal decisions should reflect continuing sales, licensing potential, enforcement value and the role of the design within the wider product portfolio.

What Should Businesses Do Next?

The EU design reform creates a practical opportunity to review:

1. which physical and digital designs the organisation creates;

2. who owns those designs;

3. when they are publicly disclosed;

4. how they should be represented;

5. which markets require protection; and

6. how design rights fit alongside trademarks, copyright and patents.

For many organisations, the greatest risk is not that they misunderstand one provision of the new framework.

It is that commercially valuable designs are never identified before they are launched.

How IP Meridian Can Help

IP Meridian advises startups, technology companies, product designers, manufacturers and international businesses on design protection across the European Union, United Kingdom, Poland and international markets.

We can assist with:

• design audits;

• EU design registration;

• GUI and digital design protection;

• design searches and availability assessments;

• UK design registration;

• international filings through the Hague System;

• portfolio strategy;

• licensing and assignments; and

• coordinated trademark, copyright and design protection.

If your business develops physical products, software interfaces, digital assets or animated designs, contact IP Meridian to discuss how the modernised EU design system may support your commercial strategy.