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Trademark & IP

Industrial Design Registration — Designs Act 2000

Industrial design registration for product appearance — shape, configuration, pattern, ornament, or composition of lines and colours applied to an article, under the Designs Act 2000.

Reviewed by CA Harun Raaj, ICAI Reg. No. 238303·Last reviewed:
Starting from Discuss with usTypical timelineDesign Registration

A registered design protects how your product looks — shape, configuration, or ornament — for 10 years plus a 5-year renewal, under the Designs Act 2000. We run the novelty search and the Form 1 application.

What is included
  • • Novelty and prior-publication search before filing
  • • Design classification under the Locarno system
  • • Form 1 preparation with representations of the design
  • • Filing with IP India and examination follow-up
  • • Response to examination objections
  • • Registration certificate and renewal calendar under s.11
Documents required
  • • Representations of the design from multiple views
  • • Product details — article, material, and use
  • • Date and circumstances of first use or disclosure
  • • Applicant details and ownership proof
Government fees

See the fee table below for the statutory filing charge and common delay logic.

Legal basis
  • • Section 6 of the Designs Act 2000
  • • Section 4 of the Designs Act 2000
  • • Section 11 of the Designs Act 2000
  • • Section 22 of the Designs Act 2000
  • • Designs Rules 2001
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Process

How the service works

The workflow is built to be predictable: document collection, legal review, filing, and post-filing follow-through.

Step 1Search

Run the novelty search

We check prior registrations and publications to confirm the design is new under s.4 of the Designs Act 2000.

Step 2Class

Classify the design

We map the article to its Locarno class and confirm the design is registrable subject matter.

Step 3Draft

Prepare the application

We prepare Form 1 with the representations — the views of the design that define its scope.

Step 4File

File with IP India

We file the application and track the examination at the Design Office.

Step 5Respond

Answer objections

We respond to examination objections within the response window to keep the application alive.

Step 6Registered

Register and renew

We hand over the registration certificate and set the renewal calendar for the s.11 extension.

AEO summary

A registered design protects how your product looks — its shape, configuration, or ornament — for 10 years, extendable by 5, under the Designs Act 2000. We run the novelty search and Form 1 application through IP India.

The look is an asset

A product's appearance does commercial work: it is what the customer recognises, what the retailer shelves, and what the competitor is tempted to copy. Registration under the Designs Act 2000 converts that appearance into a property right — exclusive for 10 years, extendable to 15 — with a piracy remedy under s.22.

For a manufacturing or consumer brand, the design register is as much a business asset as the trademark register: it can be licensed, assigned, and valued, and it shows up in diligence as part of the IP schedule.

  • • 10-year exclusive right, extendable by 5 under s.11
  • • Piracy actionable under s.22 with damages and injunction
  • • Licensable and assignable like any IP asset

Novelty is the whole game

Section 4 of the Designs Act 2000 refuses registration to a design that was already published or publicly used in India or abroad before the application. That means the filing date is everything: a design shown at a trade fair, posted on a marketplace, or sold for a season before filing can be refused — or worse, registered and then cancelled.

The search and the timing are therefore the two things we get right first: confirm novelty before the spend on the application, and file before the design enters the public domain.

  • • Novelty checked before the application is filed
  • • Filing before publication protects the priority date
  • • Objections answered within the response window

Government fees

Fee breakdown

ItemFeeNotes
IP India filing feeAs per Designs Rules 2001Fees vary by applicant type and class under the prescribed schedule.
Renewal fee (Form 7)As per Designs Rules 2001Renewal extends protection beyond the initial 10 years under s.11.

Timeline

Typical turnaround

Typical timeline usually means a 3–6 months turnaround, assuming documents are complete and any board or shareholder approvals are already in place.

Pricing note

IP India filing and renewal fees apply as per the Designs Rules 2001 schedule; professional fees depend on the design complexity.

Related services

Keep the company moving

Trademark Registration

Protect the brand name and logo — design protects the product's look, trademark protects the mark

Patent Filing

Patent filing for the functional side of the product — design protects appearance, patent protects how it works

Copyright Registration

Copyright in the artwork, packaging graphics, and software behind the product

IPR Advisory

IP portfolio review and monetisation — licensing and assignment of design rights

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What can be registered as a design?
Under s.2(d) of the Designs Act 2000, a design is the shape, configuration, pattern, ornament, or composition of lines or colours applied to an article, judged by eye. It must be new, original, and not dictated solely by the article's function — functional shapes are generally excluded.
How long does design protection last?
Registration gives 10 years of protection from the date of registration, extendable by a further 5 years under s.11 of the Designs Act 2000 — a total of 15 years. The renewal is filed in Form 7 under the Designs Rules 2001 before the initial term expires.
What happens if someone copies our registered design?
Piracy of a registered design is actionable under s.22 of the Designs Act 2000, with civil remedies including damages and injunction. Registration is what makes those remedies available — an unregistered design has no piracy action under the Act.
What should you send us before we start?
Send the representations of the design (drawings or photographs from multiple angles), the article's details, and the date and circumstances of any first use or disclosure. That is enough for us to run the novelty check and confirm registrability.

Canonical reference: https://www.pvtltd.co/services/design-registration

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We can help with the filing, the legal mapping, and the follow-up work that keeps the company compliant after submission.

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