Prior design searches
A prior design search checks whether your design is genuinely new before you file it. It costs €400 including a written opinion.
Why it matters more for designs than for trademarks
EUIPO does not examine designs for novelty. It checks the paperwork and registers the design, usually within two to four weeks.
That speed is convenient and it hides a risk. Your registration certificate is not evidence that the design is new. It only means nobody has yet argued that it is not. The question gets asked properly for the first time when a competitor applies to invalidate your registration, or when you try to enforce it against someone and they counterclaim.
A design that was not new when filed is invalid, and the certificate does not save it.
What the search covers
Registered EU designs, international registrations designating the EU, and national design registers. Where relevant we also look at published products and catalogues, because any public disclosure anywhere in the world can destroy novelty.
The written opinion tells you whether we think the design has individual character against what we found, and where the risk sits. A list of similar-looking designs without that judgement is not much use.
When to do it
Before filing, and before committing to tooling and production. The cost of changing a product design after the moulds exist is not comparable to €400.
It matters most where you are in a crowded field: furniture, packaging, phone accessories, footwear. It matters least where the design is genuinely unusual.