In a landmark development for intellectual property protection, on Feb 5, China joined the Hague System of the World Intellectual Property Organization, or WIPO, bringing the total number of member countries to 94.

Under the Hague System, an industrial design is protected by all contracting parties through a single application.

The Hague System is understood to allow an application to contain up to 100 different designs as long as they belong to the same category.

Chinese residents filed 795,504 industrial designs in 2020, representing some 55 percent of the worldwide total.

It is believed that China's entry into the Hague System will make it easier and cheaper for these designers to protect and promote their work overseas.

In addition, foreign designers are now expected to have easier access to the Chinese market, using one application and one set of fees to file for protection in 94 countries including China when its accession comes into force on May 5.