Introduction

"Designs" or more commonly known as "industrial designs" refers to the ornamental or formal appearance of a product resulting from a creative activity and design right refers to a novel or original design that is accorded to the owner of a valid registered design. Industrial designs is a type of intellectual property that has gained importance in the recent years. India has introduced a national legislation to provide for the minimal standards, in agreement with the TRIPS agreement for protection of industrial designs. The main objective of the design law is to protect design elements and promote innovation in industrial designs. The currently-followed regulations on industrial designs in India is based on the New Designs Act introduced in 2000 and is in line with the international trends in design regulation.

More details of the New Designs Act can be found at:
http://ipindia.nic.in/ipr/design/design_act.PDF

Details of the Design Rules can be found at:
http://ipindia.nic.in/ipr/design/des_rule.PDF

The Amendments of the Rules can be found at:
http://dipp.nic.in/English/acts_rules/Rules/design_Amendment_Rules_2014_01January2015.pdf

A list of forms which can be used for filing designs in India can be downloaded at:
http://ipindia.nic.in/ipr/design/designform.htm

A PDF brochure explaining the steps involved in design registration can be downloaded at:
http://ipindia.nic.in/ipr/design/tstep_design.PDF