We wish to inform ECTA members that a new eSearch Plus functionality, improving access to design-related non-confidential documents, has recently gone live.

The documents are planned to be released in phases, starting with those from 2025. From January 2026, the EUIPO will begin adding documents from earlier years, with all past non-confidential documents expected to be available by mid-2026.

Any correspondence submitted after 4 November 2025 will be made publicly accessible automatically, unless it is specifically marked as confidential. Users may request confidentiality either when submitting a document or later by contacting the EUIPO Information Centre. The Office will review the request and mark the document accordingly, according to the EUIPO Guidelines on registered EU designs - Part A - General rules (chapter 3.1.6 Confidentiality).

The public availability of design files has been an important topic for ECTA and other IP associations and we jointly advocated for this with the EUIPO. ECTA Design Committee Chair, Katri Kiviniemi, commented: “ECTA, in particular through its Design Committee, has been advocating for this change first and foremost to benefit all users to add transparency and understanding of the design prosecution processes in the EU. This is yet another successful example of the EUIPO working together with the users in raising awareness and knowledge around design rights and related processes”.