India has taken a significant step in advancing global intellectual property (IP) standards by signing the Final Act of the Riyadh Design Law Treaty (DLT), adopted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) after nearly two decades of negotiations. This landmark treaty represents a pivotal moment in harmonising international frameworks for industrial design protection and reaffirms India’s commitment to fostering inclusive growth and equitable access to IP rights.
The DLT is designed to simplify and standardise procedural requirements for industrial design registration across member states. By reducing administrative hurdles, the treaty seeks to promote creativity in design and ensure streamlined protection mechanisms benefit all stakeholders, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), startups, and independent designers.
Among its key provisions, the treaty introduces measures such as relaxed deadlines, reinstatement of lapsed rights, simplified procedures for recording assignments and licences, and the ability to include multiple designs in a single application. It also encourages the adoption of electronic filing systems and the digital exchange of priority documents, aligning with modern technological advancements.
India’s endorsement of the DLT aligns seamlessly with its existing initiatives, including the Startup India programme and the Startups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) scheme, which empowers startups and SMEs to secure design rights both domestically and internationally. These measures aim to enhance the global competitiveness of Indian enterprises, supporting their market expansion and innovation-driven growth.
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India’s rich tradition of craftsmanship and creativity underscores its recognition of design as a vital driver of economic development. This focus has yielded remarkable outcomes, with the nation witnessing a tripling of design registrations over the past decade. Domestic filings have surged by 120% in just the past two years, and design applications increased by 25% last year alone.
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