Our Core Services
Register your design before anyone else copies it.
Design includes only the features of shape, configuration, pattern or ornament or composition of lines or colour or combination thereof applied to any article whether two dimensional or three dimensional or combined form but expressly excludes the mode or principle of construction; mere mechanical device; (i.e., the functional elements), trademark, property mark and an artistic work.
Before filing the design application, it is imperative to understand whether the proposed design is new or original.
We assist our clients in assessing their proposed design and business operations; and then advise on the nature and class (es) of the design application. We conduct a detailed design search to investigate existence of any similar competing design to pre-empt any future objections/oppositions.
We prepare and file the design Application, through our experts, in a timely and efficient manner.
After filing the application, CGPDTM Office may raise objection/s against the proposed design; and may face rejection at the preliminary stage.
We assist in preparing a thorough reply to the Examination. A well drafted reply supported by legal grounds and evidences, raises the chances of acceptance of design.
Once a design is registered in India, it must be published in official journal. Here, third party upon receiving the notice of similar design may proceed for cancellation of registered design.
We provide complete end- to end assistance in dealing with the cancellation proceedings including, representing the clients in the proceedings, with a sound and appropriate legal strategy.
Design also needs to be monitored timely, it aids in protecting your design from infringement and unauthorized use. Regular watch of your design enables timely actions against the misuse.
We assist in managing the clients design portfolio, which includes:-
Checking for any competing designs or unauthorized users; and taking remedial actions like initiating cancellation proceedings of similar designs or appropriate legal action.
Renewal is essential for the legal validity of design. Once design is registered, a renewal is required to be done for next 5 years to continue the legal protection.
Monitoring the life cycle of industrial design, to ensure that the design is renewed well within the validity period for a continued protection.
Our Design Licensing & Assignment service enables you to manage and monetize your creative work with clarity and confidence. Through design licensing, you retain ownership while allowing others to use your designs under defined terms such as duration, scope, and royalties—ideal for collaborations and brand expansion. With design assignment, full ownership is transferred to another party, commonly used in work-for-hire or client-based projects.
We assist in managing the complete lifecycle of design assignment and licensing arrangements. We ensure all agreements are clear, legally sound, and tailored to your needs, helping protect your intellectual property while maximizing its commercial value and minimizing the risk of future disputes.
By granting the right to use your design, you can expand a market presence, generate revenue, and maximise commercial value.
A comprehensive search is conducted in local and international databases to identify any identical or similar existing design. This step helps the Applicant to identify the existence of similar design and reduces the risk of objections. However, this stage is not mandatory to be done, but highly advised.
The design application must be made in writing and submitted to the CGPDTM either online or physically. Once the design application is filed, an application number is allotted to the Applicant. This stage of filing application is one of the significant steps; However, Indian Designs Act does not permit protection of multiple embodiments or variants under a single application, even if they are closely similar. And therefore each embodiment or variant must be filed as a separate application.
Moreover, filing design application reflects the clear vision of Applicant’s seriousness in protecting their design by taking this initial legal measure.
During Examination, the Design office examines the application to verify compliance with legal standards of novelty and registrability under Design Act, 2000. If the examiner discovers any objections, then examination report is issued and in response to this a detailed reply has to be filed, within a period of 6 months, to overcome the objection and may require a hearing before the Controller in some cases and written submission is needed to be filed.
In case the reply is not filed, the application shall be rejected as abandoned.
Once all the objections are resolved and the Controller is satisfied with the reply or during the hearing as the case may be, the design receives acceptance and reaches the registration stage. Here, a certificate of registration for 10 years is issued in favor of Applicant.
In design cases, the publication phase begins once the design is accepted by the design Office and a certificate of registration is granted to the Applicant. Yes, the design officially gets advertised or published in the Patent Office Journal.
Everything you need to know about Filfox IP
