The Designs Act, 2000 was brought into force on May 11, 2001. Its key features are:
Amplification of scope of a design to include composition of lines or colours applied to any article whether in two or three dimensional form.
Introduction of concept of “absolute novelty” in place of “local novelty” for assessing the registerability of a design.
Claiming of priority from a design application filed in the UK or any of the other convention countries or group of countries or countries which are members of inter-governmental organisations. This provision operates prospectively.
Publication of all registered designs along with the representation of the article.
Inspection of a registered design and obtaining its certified copy.
Restoration of a lapsed design within one year.
Validation of a registered design for 10 years extendable by 5 years.
