Intellectual Property Act 2014

8 Accession to the Hague Agreement

(1) After section 15 of the Registered Designs Act 1949 insert—

“15ZA Accession to the Hague Agreement

(1) The Secretary of State may by order make provision for giving effect in the United Kingdom to the provisions of the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs adopted by the Diplomatic Conference on 2 July 1999.

(2) An order under this section may, in particular, make provision about—

(a) the making of applications for international registrations at the Patent Office;

(b) the procedures to be followed where an international registration designates the United Kingdom;

(c) the effect of an international registration which designates the United Kingdom;

(d) the communication of information to the International Bureau;

(e) the payment of fees.

(3) An order under this section may—

(a) amend this Act;

(b) apply specified provisions of this Act with such modifications as may be specified.

(4) An expression used in subsection (2) and in the Agreement referred to in subsection (1) has the same meaning in that subsection as it has in the Agreement.”

(2) In section 37 of that Act (rules and orders)—

(a) in subsection (3), before “shall be exercisable” insert “and the power to make an order under section 15ZA”, and

(b) before subsection (5) insert—

“(4B) The Secretary of State may not make an order under section 15ZA unless a draft of the statutory instrument containing the order has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, each House of Parliament.”