Earlier this year, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), announced that Belarus is joining the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Deposit of Industrial Designs. The Hague system enables an applicant to secure industrial design protection in up to 92 countries, now also including Belarus, via one international application, without the need to hire local agents to file national applications. This reduces costs and the administrative burden on applicants, making IP protection abroad easier to secure, and in this way facilitating international commerce and business expansion. Another relevant development in Belarus is the expected ratification of the Protocol on Industrial Designs of the Eurasian Patent Convention. This will make Belarus part of the Eurasian Design system. The Eurasian design has a unitary validity on the territories of the states that are party to the Protocol – currently, these are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. This presents an alternative opportunity for effective design protection. Dr. Emil Benatov & Partners is available to assist our clients and colleagues with the securing of design rights in Belarus, as well as for any other IP services in Belarus and the CIS area. Contact us for more information.