Not graphic design
Design registration is intellectual property protection for how a product looks. It is different from designing a logo or a website, which are creative services we treat separately.
Design Registration
For products whose appearance matters. Design registration protects the visual features of an article — its shape, configuration, pattern, ornamentation, or composition of lines or colours — as judged by the eye. We help you assess whether a design may qualify and prepare the application.
Who it is for
- Product companies and manufacturers
- Designers of consumer goods, packaging and devices
- Startups with a distinctive physical product
- Researchers whose prototype has a new form
What is included
Initial design assessment
Does the design concern how an article looks, rather than how it works? Is it new? Has it already been published, shown or sold? We work through these questions with you before anything else.
Prior-design research
A search of registered designs and other available sources for similar designs, to judge novelty before you commit to filing.
Representations and documentation
A registered design is defined by its representations — the views of the article that are filed. We advise on which views are needed and help prepare them with the supporting documents.
Application preparation and filing support
Preparation of the application, including the article’s description and statement of novelty, and support with filing it with the design wing of the Indian Patent Office.
Process explanations
We explain each stage, the documents involved and where your application stands — without promising dates that the Office controls.
How an engagement runs
- Stage 01
First look
Photos or drawings of the product, and how and where it has been shown.
- Stage 02
Assessment
Is it a registrable design, and is it likely to be new?
- Stage 03
Prior-design research
Searching for similar registered designs.
- Stage 04
Preparation
Representations, description and statement of novelty.
- Stage 05
Filing support
Filing and follow-up through examination.
Stages describe the usual shape of the work. Timelines depend on the scope and, for filings, on the relevant office; no stage has a guaranteed duration or outcome.
Important to know
Appearance, not function
Features dictated purely by how a product works are not protected by design registration; they may be a matter for a patent. Trademarks and artistic works are also outside its scope.
Novelty is fragile
Showing a product publicly before filing can affect whether its design is still considered new. Speak to us before a launch, exhibition or catalogue.
What to have ready
- Clear photographs or drawings of the product from several angles
- The name of the article and what it is used for
- Whether, when and where the product has been shown, published or sold
- The applicant’s details
Fee
₹7,000
Your final quotation depends on the scope, complexity and requirements of the work. Whether official (government) fees and taxes are included is stated in writing in your quotation before any work begins.
Questions
How long does a registered design last in India?
A registered design is protected for an initial period of ten years, which can be extended once by a further five years on payment of the prescribed fee.
Can I protect both how my product looks and how it works?
Sometimes. Appearance may be protected by design registration and a technical function may be protected by a patent. We assess both when a product has both elements.
Often considered alongside
Discuss your requirements
Tell us, in general terms, what you are working on and what you need, and we will suggest a next step.
Please don’t include confidential invention details in a first message. We will agree a suitable way to share them.