Design registration in IndiaIf the look sells it,
the look needs protecting.
Design registration in India protects the shape, configuration, pattern and ornamentation of your product: fast, affordable, and devastatingly effective against copycats. It's the most underused right in Indian IP, and often the first one a hardware startup should file.
Cheap, fast, and copycats hate it
Months, not years
Unlike patents, design registration in India often completes within 6–12 months, an enforceable registered right while your patent is still in the queue.
The cheapest registered right
Official fees from ₹1,000 for individuals and startups. For consumer products, the protection-per-rupee is unmatched anywhere in IP.
Visual comparison, fast outcomes
Infringement turns on visual similarity: easier to demonstrate than patent claims, which makes cease-and-desist letters and injunctions land harder.
Design registration protects what your customer recognises from across the room.
Design registration fees in India (2026)
Official fees under the Designs Rules, per application. Our professional fee is fixed and quoted within 24 hours, before you commit.
| Official fee | Individual / Startup / Small entity | Others |
|---|---|---|
| Application for registration (Form 1) | ₹1,000 | ₹4,000 |
| Extension after 10 years, for 5 more (Form 3) | ₹2,000 | ₹8,000 |
Startups need DPIIT recognition and small entities need MSME status to claim the lower fee. Not sure which class your product falls in? Use our Locarno class finder.
How design registration works, in 5 steps
Novelty check and class
We search registered designs and pick the Locarno class. Anything already public, including your own launch photos, can block registration.
Representation sheets
Drawings or photos of the article from each view, a statement of novelty and any disclaimer. These sheets define what is protected, so they matter most.
Filing online
Filed within 48 hours of your go-ahead. Every design application in India is examined by the Design Office in Kolkata, wherever you are.
Examination and objections
The examiner may object to the sheets, the class or novelty. We reply, revise the sheets if needed, and attend any hearing.
Registration and renewal
Once accepted, the design is registered and published in the Patent Office Journal. Protection runs 10 years, extendable by 5.
"Design patent" in India?
The US calls it a design patent; in India it is a registered design under the Designs Act, 2000. Same idea: protection for how a product looks, not how it works.
Already filed? See how to check your design application status.
Protect how it works, or how it looks: usually both.
A patent protects function; a design registration protects appearance. A water bottle's self-cleaning mechanism is patentable; its distinctive silhouette is registrable as a design. For physical products, the strongest position is typically a design filed immediately (it's fast and cheap) with a patent following for the functional innovation.
One critical rule shared with patents: novelty. Launch photos, a crowdfunding page or an exhibition stall before filing can destroy the design's newness. If launch is near, talk to us this week. Filing first costs little; restoring lost novelty is impossible.
Verify everything at the source
Design registration in India: FAQs
The visual features of a finished article (shape, configuration, surface pattern or ornamentation) that appeal to the eye. Not the functional mechanism (that's patent territory), and not logos as such (that's trademark territory). GUIs and icons have been accepted in classes under the Locarno system, which matters for software hardware products.
Usually not for what's been disclosed: novelty is judged at the filing date. But product variants, next versions and yet-unreleased designs remain registrable. Bring us the roadmap and we'll protect what's still protectable.
Through civil action for piracy of a registered design: injunctions and damages. In practice, a registration certificate plus a firm legal notice resolves a large share of copycat problems without trial, because the visual comparison speaks for itself.
The official fee is ₹1,000 per application for individuals, DPIIT-recognised startups and small entities, and ₹4,000 for others. Extending protection after 10 years costs ₹2,000 or ₹8,000. Professional fees are separate; ours are fixed and quoted within 24 hours.
Yes, in substance. "Design patent" is the US term; in India the right is a registered design under the Designs Act, 2000. Both protect the appearance of a product, not its function.
All design applications in India are examined by the Design Office at the Patent Office in Kolkata, whichever city you file from. Filing and replies are online.
If the appearance is distinctive, file the design immediately: it's fast and cheap. If the function is genuinely inventive, layer a patent on top. A Startup IP Audit answers this for your specific product in a week.
Show us the product.
A photo or render is enough for a first read. Fixed-fee quote for design registration within 24 hours, and if launch is imminent, tell us, and we'll prioritise the filing.
Prefer chat? WhatsApp us. Send the photo there.