Design Search

Industrial designs protect the visual appearance of products — their shape, pattern, lines, contours, and ornamentation. IPKit provides design search across two jurisdictions: the EU (via EUIPO) and Australia (via IP Australia).

Designs use Locarno classification (not Nice classes used by trademarks). They have different identifiers, statuses, and lifecycles from trademarks.

EU design search

The eu_design_search tool queries EU Community Designs registered at EUIPO.

Search types

Type	Parameter	What it searches
number	Design number	Exact match on EUIPO design number (e.g., “002345678-0001”)
applicant (default)	Owner/holder name	Substring match on applicant name
verbal_element	Design name	Substring match on the verbal element (name) of the design
product	Product keyword	Searches the product indication field
locarno_class	Locarno code	Exact match on classification code (e.g., “09.01”)

Example: search by applicant

{
  "query": "Samsung",
  "searchType": "applicant",
  "status": "live",
  "limit": 20
}

Response:

{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "EU-D-002345678-0001",
      "designNumber": "002345678-0001",
      "jurisdiction": "EU",
      "status": "registered",
      "filingDate": "2023-05-10",
      "registrationDate": "2023-08-15",
      "expiryDate": "2028-05-10",
      "locarnoClasses": ["14.04"],
      "applicants": [
        {
          "identifier": "12345",
          "name": "Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd."
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "pagination": {
    "hasMore": true,
    "cursor": "1",
    "totalResults": 2450
  },
  "metadata": {
    "query": "Samsung",
    "searchType": "applicant",
    "totalResults": 2450,
    "executionTimeMs": 890
  }
}

Applicant name enrichment

The EUIPO Designs Search API returns applicant identifiers but not always applicant names in search results. To resolve identifiers to names, set enrichApplicantNames: true:

{
  "query": "09.01",
  "searchType": "locarno_class",
  "enrichApplicantNames": true,
  "limit": 10
}

This calls the EUIPO Persons API in the background to resolve each unique identifier. It adds latency but provides complete applicant information. For a dedicated person lookup, use eu_person_lookup.

Status filters

Filter	Includes
all (default)	Every status
live	Registered + pending designs
dead	Expired + cancelled + refused designs
registered	Only fully registered designs
pending	Only pending applications

Combining filters

You can combine any search type with a Locarno class filter:

{
  "query": "Samsung",
  "searchType": "applicant",
  "locarnoClasses": ["14.04", "14.03"],
  "status": "live"
}

This finds live Samsung designs classified in Locarno 14.04 (screens/displays) or 14.03 (communication equipment).

AU design search

The au_design_search tool queries Australian designs via IP Australia.

Search types

Type	Parameter	What it searches
number	Design/application number	Exact match
owner (default)	Current owner name	Partial match
designer	Designer name	Partial match
product	Product name	Keyword search
classification	Locarno code	Classification code (e.g., “09-01”)

Note that Australia uses hyphens in Locarno codes (09-01) rather than dots (09.01).

Example: search by product

{
  "query": "mobile phone case",
  "searchType": "product",
  "status": "live",
  "limit": 15
}

Response:

{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "AU-D-202312345",
      "designNumber": "202312345",
      "jurisdiction": "AU",
      "status": "registered",
      "filingDate": "2023-09-01",
      "registrationDate": "2024-01-15",
      "locarnoClasses": ["14-03"],
      "applicants": [
        { "name": "Case Co Pty Ltd" }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "pagination": {
    "hasMore": false,
    "totalResults": 8
  },
  "metadata": {
    "query": "mobile phone case",
    "searchType": "product",
    "totalResults": 8,
    "executionTimeMs": 650
  }
}

Locarno class filter

Like EU search, AU design search accepts a locarnoClasses filter that can be combined with any search type:

{
  "query": "Apple",
  "searchType": "owner",
  "locarnoClasses": ["14-03"]
}

IP Australia sometimes uses suffixed class codes (e.g., “09-01E” within class 09-01). If a classification search returns no results, try a product keyword search instead.

Locarno classification

The Locarno Classification system organizes designs into 32 classes and over 200 subclasses based on product type. Some common classes:

Code	Description
01	Foodstuffs
06	Furnishing
09	Packages and containers
12	Means of transport
14	Recording, telecommunication, and data processing equipment
15	Machines
21	Games, toys, tents, and sports goods
25	Building units and construction elements
32	Graphic symbols, logos, surface patterns, ornamentation

Unlike Nice classes (1-45) used for trademarks, Locarno classes use a two-level numeric system: NN.NN (EU) or NN-NN (AU).

Design lifecycle

Designs follow a different lifecycle from trademarks:

1. Filed — application submitted to the office
2. Published — design made publicly available (EU allows deferred publication up to 30 months)
3. Registered — protection granted
4. Renewed — registration extended (EU designs last up to 25 years in 5-year terms; AU designs up to 10 years)
5. Expired/Cancelled — protection ended

Getting full design details

After finding designs via search, use the status tools for complete information:

• eu_design_status — full details for an EU design including views (images), product indications, priority claims, and representatives
• au_design_status — full details for an AU design including owner details and related documents

{
  "designNumber": "002345678-0001"
}

The detail response includes image URLs that show the actual design representations.

Cross-referencing with persons

For EU designs, use eu_person_lookup to get detailed information about applicants, representatives, or designers:

{
  "identifier": "12345",
  "role": "applicant"
}

Use eu_applicant_portfolio to see all IP filings (trademarks and designs) by a specific EUIPO applicant.

Related tools

• eu_design_status — full details for an EU design
• au_design_status — full details for an AU design
• eu_person_lookup — look up applicant/representative details
• eu_applicant_portfolio — browse an applicant’s full IP portfolio