Summary
In India, where patents and trademarks dominate the IP conversation, industrial design remains an overlooked asset. This post explores how businesses can use industrial design to differentiate their products, protect visual innovations, and unlock global market potential. With low cost and high strategic value, industrial design is a game-changer waiting to be embraced.
In a market that understands Patents and Trademarks as important forms of Intellectual Property, another form of IP with immense potential is often forgotten or ignored. While countries like Japan, South Korea, and the US use industrial design as a strategic tool for innovation and brand building, India is yet to fully tap into this reservoir of creative and economic potential.
What is Industrial Design?
Industrial design refers to the creation of new and original features of shape, configuration, surface pattern, ornamentations and composition of lines or colours applied to articles which in the finished state appeal to and are judged solely by the eye.
From the curves of a car’s dashboard or that of the car itself to the grip of a water bottle, industrial design plays a pivotal role in user satisfaction, product identity, and ultimately, business success.
The Current State of Industrial Design in India
Despite being the fourth-largest economy in the world with a booming consumer market and manufacturing ecosystem, India lags in leveraging industrial design for commercial advantage. Some potential reasons include:
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- Lack of Awareness: Most Indian businesses equate “design” with logos or packaging. The concept of product-level design strategy is still nascent.
- Undervalued IP: Very few companies realize that industrial designs are protectable under the Designs Act, 2000, giving them a monopoly over the visual appearance of their products.
- Fragmented Design Ecosystem: Industrial designers are present, but not well-integrated into business strategy or product development pipelines.
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Between 2015 and March 31, 2025, only 1.83 lakh design applications were filed in India. Notably, 2024 recorded the highest number of design filings in the country’s history, with 40,328 applications, according to data from the Indian IP Office.
Why Indian Businesses Should Take Industrial Design Seriously
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- Ease of registration
Unlike patents which have stringent requirements for registration, designs require only novelty and originality. Even from an expense point of view, design registrations cost far less than patents or for that matter even trademarks.
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- Competitive Differentiation
In a saturated market, design is the fastest route to standing out. Whether it’s the quirky aesthetics of boAt’s earphones or the intuitive design of Dyson-like fans or the latest model of iPhone, consumers respond emotionally to well-designed products. And emotion drives purchase.
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- IP Protection and Market Exclusivity
Under the Indian Designs Act, industrial designs can be protected for 10 years (extendable by 5 years). This legal exclusivity:
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- Gives a business rights against infringers and potential copycats.
- Strengthens investor confidence in a business.
- Increases valuation during licensing, M&A, or other transactions.
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Yet, very few Indian businesses file for design registrations despite their relatively low cost and high strategic value.
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- Global Market Access
Products designed with international aesthetics and ergonomics in mind fare well in export markets. This is especially crucial for sectors like furniture, consumer electronics, auto components, kitchenware, and many others, where buyers demand not just functionality but design sensibility. It is however important to add here that designs do not protect the functionality of a product but rather its visual appearance alone.
Missed Opportunities
Despite the clear benefits, Indian businesses are unable to tap into the full potential of industrial designs for at least one or more of the following reasons:
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- Low design filings: While India files an average of over 60,000 patent applications annually, design filings hover at an average of 20,000. For a country producing millions of products, this is extremely low.
- Outsourced design dependency: Many Indian OEMs depend on foreign design studios. The result is that IP ends up overseas.
- Unprotected innovations: Unique shapes, forms, and configurations go unregistered and are eventually copied, which erodes first-mover advantage.
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What Indian Businesses must consider
Step 1: Build Design Awareness
Conduct in-house workshops. Partner with design schools. Introduce design thinking into early-stage product development.
Step 2: Integrate Designers in R&D
Involve industrial designers right from the concept phase. Design is not a cosmetic layer to a product; it is strategic engineering.
Step 3: File Design Applications
If your product’s look is unique, register it under the Designs Act. It costs anywhere between ₹10,000 – ₹50,000 in government and attorney’s fees, and provides a valuable IP asset.
Conclusion
Design is not just for luxury brands or international products. It’s for every business that wants to:
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- Sell more,
- Innovate better,
- Create long-term IP assets, and
- Build global recognition.
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Let us know your thoughts, experiences, and challenges, if any, by dropping in a comment.