Industrial design registration in India. Make the look of your product legally yours.

A design registration protects how a product looks: its shape, configuration, pattern, ornament, or the composition of its lines and colours. Define IPR Solutions prepares your application and files it with the Designs Wing of the Patent Office.

Get a free consultation See the five stages

Free consultation. Fees quoted before you commit to anything.

Design law in three numbers

Fifteen years, if you ask for them

  • 10

    years of protection

    Counted from the date of registration.

  • 5

    more years on renewal

    One extension is allowed, taking the total to fifteen.

  • 6

    months to clear objections

    The time the Patent Office gives an applicant to answer its examination report.

What can be yours

Products whose look can be registered

A design is judged by the eye alone. If the appearance of an article is new, it can be registered, whatever the article is.

  • Packaging and containers

    Bottles, jars, boxes and the shapes that make a product recognisable on a shelf.

  • Furniture

    Chairs, tables, fittings and other household goods.

  • Jewellery

    The form and ornament of rings, necklaces and other pieces.

  • Textiles

    Patterns and surface designs applied to fabric.

  • Electronics

    The outer shape and styling of devices and appliances.

  • Lighting

    Lamps, fixtures and other products where form sells.

A design protects appearance, not function. How a product works belongs to a patent, and a logo or brand name belongs to a trademark.

How it becomes yours

How design registration works in India

Five stages, from a first look at the product to the certificate.

  1. 01 Review

    Is the design new?

    We look at the product and at earlier designs, because a design that has already been published or sold cannot be registered.

  2. 02 Preparation

    Drawings and classification

    We prepare the representations that show the article from each side, and identify the class of article it belongs to.

  3. 03 Filing

    Application at the Patent Office

    We file the application with the Designs Wing of the Patent Office.

  4. 04 Examination

    Objections and reply

    An examiner checks the application. If objections are raised, we prepare the reply and deal with the hearing if one is called.

  5. 05 Registration

    Certificate and publication

    The design is registered, published in the Patent Office Journal and protected for 10 years, renewable once for 5 more.

Claiming it

Design, patent or trademark?

One product can need all three. Each protects something different.

ProtectionWhat it protectsHow long it lasts
Design How the product looks. 10 years, renewable once for 5 more.
Patent How the product works. 20 years from filing.
Trademark The name or logo the product is sold under. 10 years, renewable without limit.

Keeping it yours

What you get from Define IPR

  • A view on novelty

    An early answer on whether the design looks new enough to register.

  • The application, prepared and filed

    The form, the representations and the classification, handled for you.

  • Replies to the Patent Office

    If the examiner objects, we prepare the reply.

  • One firm for the whole product

    The design, the patent and the trademark for the same product, handled together.

What we need from you

  • The applicant's name, address and nationality.
  • Clear photographs or drawings of the article from every side.
  • What the article is, and what it is used for.
  • A short note on what is new about its appearance.
  • The date the design was first shown or sold, if it has been.

One thing to do first

Register before you launch. A design that has already been published, exhibited or sold is no longer new, and cannot be registered.

Applications are filed with the Patent Office (Designs Wing), part of the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks.

Before you decide

Design registration, answered

What is an industrial design?

An industrial design is the appearance of an article: its shape, configuration, pattern, ornament, or the composition of its lines and colours. It is protected in India under the Designs Act, 2000.

How long does a design registration last in India?

A design is protected for 10 years from the date of registration. It can be extended once, for a further 5 years, giving a maximum of 15 years.

Can I register a design after I have started selling the product?

Generally no. A design must be new. If it has already been published, exhibited or sold before the application is filed, it is no longer new and the registration can be refused or cancelled.

What is the difference between a design and a patent?

A design protects how a product looks. A patent protects how it works. A feature that exists only because of the product's function cannot be registered as a design.

What rights does a registered design give me?

The exclusive right to apply the design to the article it is registered for. You can stop others from making, selling or importing articles that copy the design or are an obvious imitation of it.

Does an Indian design registration protect me abroad?

No. A registration protects the design in India only. To protect it in other countries you file there, normally within six months of your Indian application if you want to keep the same priority date.

How much does design registration cost?

Official fees are lower for individuals, startups and small entities than for other applicants. Our professional fee is added to that. We quote both after a free consultation, before you commit to anything.

Last reviewed . This page is general information, not legal advice.

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