Summary
- Turkmenistan joined the Eurasian design system on 4 January 2025.
- Applicants gain unified design protection across all EAPO states.
- System covers up to 100 designs per application.
- Legal effect depends on Protocol status at filing date.
Eurasian Design System Enters into Force in Turkmenistan
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Following the deposit of its instrument of accession to the Protocol on the Protection of Industrial Designs to the Eurasian Patent Convention, the Protocol entered into force in Turkmenistan on 4 January 2025, making Turkmenistan the final Eurasian Patent Organization (EAPO) member state to join the Eurasian industrial design protection system. The deposit follows the signing of the law on accession to the Protocol on 13 July 2024.
The Eurasian design system, operational since 1 June 2021, allows applicants to obtain simultaneous protection in EAPO member states—Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and, effective 4 January 2025, Turkmenistan. Applicants can file a single Eurasian design application, covering up to 100 industrial designs in the same class under the International Classification for Industrial Designs, to secure protection across all member states.
According to Article 22 of the Protocol, Eurasian design patents will have legal effect in the EAPO member states in which the Protocol was in force on the application filing date.