The protection of industrial designs is administered by a legislative framework which is in sync with advances in technology and concomitant international developments. The Designs Act, 2000 sets the statutory framework and has been in force since May 11 2001. The Act provides for minimum standards of protection for industrial designs, as mandated by the TRIPS Agreement and conforms to the international trends in design administration. The Designs Rules 2001 (as amended in 2014), streamlines the procedural aspects of receiving, processing and granting registrations to design applications in India and recognizes priority for the applicants from the Paris Convention and/or WTO member countries.
Mr. Omesh Puri and Ms. Swati Pathania talk about the various initiatives taken by the Government of India to raise the services of the Indian Design Office and bring it at par with the international standards. The Annual Report released by the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM) of India for the year 2016-2017 demonstrates these achievements, which are discussed at the below link http://www.mondaq.com/india/x/