The Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs (Hague Agreement) became effective for the United States on May 13, 2015.
It is now possible for United States (U.S.) applicants to file a single international design application either with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) or through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) as an office of indirect filing to obtain protection in a number of countries that are party to the Hague Agreement. In addition, applicants filing international design applications on or after May 13, 2015 will be able to designate the United States for design protection. U.S. design patents resulting from applications filed on or after May 13, 2015 will have a 15-year term from the date of issuance.
The Hague Agreement is an international registration system which offers the possibility of obtaining protection for up to 100 industrial designs in designated member countries and intergovernmental organizations (referred to as "Contracting Parties") by filing a single international application in a single language either directly with the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) or indirectly through the office of applicant's Contracting Party.
For more information: http://www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/hague-agreement-concerning-international-registration-industrial-designs