From November 11th to 22nd, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) held a diplomatic conference in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, to conclude a design law treaty. The conference successfully concluded the Riyadh Design Law Treaty. The China National Intellectual Property Administration, the Permanent Mission of China in Geneva and the Embassy in Saudi Arabia jointly sent representatives to form a Chinese government delegation to attend the meeting, headed by Lu Peng, Deputy Director of the China National Intellectual Property Administration. During the conference, members of the delegation actively participated in the negotiations and played a constructive role in the successful conclusion of the treaty, effectively promoting the development of the global intellectual property governance system towards fairness and rationality.

The negotiation of the appearance design law treaty took nearly 20 years to finally reach an agreement. The treaty aims to harmonize and streamline the procedures and formalities for industrial design applications across countries. It covers provisions related to application documents, representation, the determination of application dates, grace periods, amendments or divisional applications, publication, renewal, term extensions, and restoration of rights. This alignment will enable designers to protect their designs more conveniently, efficiently, and cost-effectively in domestic and international markets.