Design Registration
Design registration is a type of intellectual property protection under which a newly created design applied to an article created under an industrial process can be protected from counterfeiting. This registration provides authority to the owner to use the Design for ten years, and the time can be further extended for the next five years. The present article briefs the Design Registration procedure in India.
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Definition of a Design
A design is defined under Section 2(d) of the Designs Act 2001, as only the features of a shape, pattern, configuration, composition, or ornament of lines or colors that are applied to any article that is two dimensional, three dimensional, or both by an industrial process or any means whether mechanical, manual or chemical, separated or combined, which in the finished article are judged solely by the eye; but is not taken into account upon the principle of construction or anything which is in substance a merely mechanical device.
Also read MSME Innovative Scheme (Incubation, Design, and IPR)
Advantages of Design Registration in India
Following are some advantages that an owner can avail after getting registration of a design in India:
Essentials Requirements
Under the Design Act, 2000 for a design to be registered and protected under the Act, the following are essential requirements that need to be fulfilled:
Eligibility Criteria
Documents Required for Design Registration
The following documents are to be submitted to get design registration:
The affidavit should be in paragraph form and should contain a declaration of truth and verifiability. However, the controller may regulate the cost involved in design registration according to the fourth schedule.
Protection Given to Design Registration
When a design is registered, copyright is bestowed upon the registered design for a period of 10 years (extendable by 5 years). Through this, the proprietor enjoys an exclusive right over the use of the design in the class in which it’s been registered.
What is excluded from the scope of a Design Registration?
Unlike copyright protection, the design registration doesn’t protect any literary or artistic work like books, calendars, stamps, tokens, buildings and structures, and maps. Further, an application cannot be made for designs similar to the national flags, emblems, or signs of any country.
Validity of Design Registration
Design registration is valid for a period of 10 years and can be extended for a further term of 5 years with the payment of the necessary fees. The design will lapse if the extension is not done in time, but can be restored in the following manner:
The application for restoration is to be made within one year from the date of the lapse of the design via Form 4, only in the case of non-payment of the extension fees. Once the application for restoration is approved, the necessary extension fees are to be paid.
Process for Design Registration
The first thing to be noted is that the application to register a design may be applied to five different authorities:
The application for design registration must be filed with Form-1 along with the following details:
If the application is to register the design in more than one class, each class of registration must have a separate application.
After submission of the application, the patent office will examine the application and raise objections, if any. Upon the clearance or removal of all objections, the design shall be granted a copyright certificate by the patent office.
Cancellation of Design Registration
Under the provisions of Section 10 of the Design Act, 2000, registration can be canceled if:
1. What is a Design?
08 December 2021
A design is referred to shape, ornament, pattern, composition of line or colors, or any other visible aspect. A design can be two or three-dimensional.
2. Is Design registration mandatory?
08 December 2021
Design registration is not mandatory, having a design registration protects the design’s uniqueness and authenticity.
3. Why get design registration?
08 December 2021
A design registration bestows copyright on the design that is registered for 10 years which can be further extended by 5 years. The owner of the design has exclusive rights to use the design in the class in which it has been registered.
4. When to apply for a Design registration?
08 December 2021
An application for design registration should be made as soon as possible after the design is finalized and before it is shown to others.
5. Who can apply for Design registration?
16 November 2021
Application for obtaining design registration can be made by the proprietor of any design, an Assignee ( jointly or separately ), if the applicant is a non-resident Indian then his agent or representative should apply.
6. Is it possible to transfer the ownership of design registration?
16 November 2021
Yes, the ownership of design registration can be transferred by an assignment, a license agreement, or transmission.
7. Which Form is to be filed for transferring the ownership of design registration?
16 November 2021
For transferring the ownership rights of a design registration an application is to be made to the controller of Patents and Design in Form 10.
8. What are characteristics that can help you in obtaining design registration quicker?
16 November 2021
A design must include these qualities to obtain a design registration It should original and unique. The design should not be controversial or should offend the public order. It should not be published anywhere earlier Lastly, the design is applicable to the physical characteristics and does not include the procedural or mechanical elements.