UAE Joins Locarno Agreement: What It Means for Industrial Design Protection
The UAE Locarno Agreement accession marks a key step in aligning the country's IP
framework with global best practices. The UAE deposited its instrument of accession on 6 July
2026 during the 68th Series of Meetings of the WIPO Assemblies in Geneva. The Agreement
will enter into force for the UAE on 6 October 2026.
About the Locarno Agreement
The Locarno Agreement, concluded in 1968 and administered by the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO), creates a standardized international classification system for industrial
designs. Under this system, designs are allocated to specific classes and subclasses that are
recognized across all member states, making it easier to search, compare, and manage design
registrations across borders. Contracting states must indicate the relevant Locarno classes and
subclasses in their official design registration documents and publications.
Why the UAE Accession Matters
The UAE Locarno Agreement accession strengthens the country's industrial design protection
regime and supports greater international cooperation in IP. According to the Ministry of
Economy and Tourism, this accession marks a significant milestone in enhancing the national
IP ecosystem and facilitating the registration, search, and comparison of industrial designs
among member states.
This development comes amid a broader rise in IP activity in the UAE. In the first half of 2026
alone, the country recorded more than 17,000 trademark registrations, a 12% increase in patent
applications, and a 35.4% rise in registered intellectual works compared to the same period in
the previous year. Against this backdrop, the UAE Locarno Agreement further positions the
country as a more integrated and predictable jurisdiction for design-intensive industries such as
consumer goods, fashion, technology, and manufacturing.
Practical Implications for Design Owners
For businesses and creators, the adoption of the Locarno Classification brings several practical
benefits:
● Standardized classification: Industrial designs filed in the UAE will be categorized
using the same class and subclass structure applied in other member states, reducing
ambiguity and improving consistency.
● Clearer searches and comparisons: A unified classification system makes it easier to
conduct prior-design searches and assess the registrability of new designs against
international portfolios.
● Simplified multi-jurisdictional strategies: Rights holders can more readily align their
UAE filings with design strategies in other Locarno countries, streamlining portfolio
management and reducing duplication of effort.
Over time, this alignment is expected to support more efficient examination processes and
enable better use of international design databases and analytics tools that rely on Locarno-
classified data.
What to Watch Next
With the UAE Locarno Agreement set to enter into force on 6 October 2026, design owners
and IP practitioners will be watching for:
● Updates to local filing forms and guidelines to reflect Locarno classes and subclasses
● Changes to how design registrations are published and indexed by the UAE IP office
● Practical guidance on mapping existing design portfolios to the new classification system
For companies that rely on industrial design protection in the UAE and the wider region, this is a
good moment to review current filing practices, classification approaches, and search protocols
to ensure they are ready for the transition to the Locarno system.