Filing of Design Application

General

Properly filled up application form and appropriately prepared representation are crucial for efficient prosecution of a Design Application. It is observed that 90% of the applications are objected on formality issues. Very few applications are objected on substantive issues, such as novelty and originality. Extensions are sought by the agents/legal practitioners for filing reply to such formal objections, which results in a further delay of 4-5 months. Accordingly, it is required that the documents related to Design Applications shall be prepared diligently. This can significantly reduce the time taken for registration. The Designs Wing of the Patent Office is committed to register a properly filed application, which complies with the substantive criteria of registrability, in one month from the date of filing, from April, 2011 onwards.