A New Chapter for EU Design Protection: Video and 3D Filings Are Now a Reality

The final phase of the EU design reform took effect on 1 July 2026, and EUIPO wasted no time putting the new regime into practice — publishing the first two EU designs ever registered using video and 3D representation.

For years, applicants were confined to seven static views, regardless of how complex or dynamic the underlying product was. That constraint is now gone. The first video-represented design belongs to Germany's Lessmore GmbH, protecting an animated interface for a mobile phone game. The first 3D-represented design comes from Belgium's Arranged BV, covering a dice tray with an integrated phone holder that can now be viewed from multiple angles within a single registration. EUIPO

This matters most for clients working in software interfaces, gaming, packaging, and products with geometry that simply doesn't translate well into flat images — movement and volume can finally be captured as part of the legal protection itself, not just described around it.

In the first two weeks of July 2026 alone, EUIPO received 37 video filings and 20 3D filings, against 4,329 static-view applications — 4,386 filings in total. The numbers are still modest, but the direction is unmistakable, and clients building digital or interface-driven products should start factoring these formats into their EU filing strategy now, while the practice is still new and competitors are slow to adapt.

Happy to walk through which representation format best fits a specific product before filing — the right choice here can meaningfully affect the scope of protection obtained.

Countries that do not yet accept video/3D file uploads, but allow motion or animation to be conveyed through separate static views or descriptive text:

  • UK IPO — Through DPN 01/26, published on 21 April 2026, the UK IPO clarified its practice on representing GUIs, icons, and animated/dynamic designs. However, this still relies on submitting multiple static views "indicated as depicting an animation" — the UK IPO's design application process only accepts 2D representations, with no separate file format for dynamic or animated digital content or GUIs.
  • United States (USPTO) — Under the new guidance issued in March 2026, the requirement to depict a display panel or screen was removed, and projected, holographic, and VR/AR interfaces were expressly brought within the scope of design patent protection. This rule, however, does not change the drawing/photograph-based mode of representation — there is no option to upload a video file; representation must still be made through static drawings or photographs.
  • South Korea (KIPO) — Following the legal amendment that took effect in 2021, the definition of "design" was expanded to include "images," making electronic image designs — such as projections, AR/VR screens, and GUIs distributed over the internet — eligible for registration. This change, however, concerns the expansion of protectable subject matter rather than file format; the practice of uploading video/3D files remains a separate issue.

WIPO Hague System (international application) — not yet accepted:

  • Whether the Hague System will accept 3D or video file formats is still under discussion within the Working Group on the Legal Development of the Hague System. At its most recent meeting in October 2025, the Working Group decided to continue examining the issue.