Industrial design protects the appearance of products made by industrial means. In the United States, equivalent protection is known as a design patent. Original designs fixed in tangible form may also intersect with copyright — but mass industrial replication shifts protection toward design registration.
Utility patents require novelty, non-obviousness, and utility — plus a functionality filter. Removing non-obviousness and functionality tests leaves the criteria relevant to industrial design. Original designs enjoy copyright until replicated more than fifty times industrially; beyond that threshold, qualifying designs should seek I-Design registration.
The Hague System for international design registration, together with TRIPS, forms the international I-Design framework. India is not yet a Hague Agreement signatory; national filing remains the primary route.
Design monopoly lasts ten years from application, extendable by five years. Infringement is a civil wrong remedied through injunction and damages.
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