The validity of a design registration is for five years, but is renewable for two similar periods. An application in respect of a design or an industrial model is submitted to the registry along with its supporting documents. The Registrar notifies the applicant of the receipt of his application within 10 days. The application then proceeds to examination, following which a decision to accept the application or reject it is issued. Once an application is accepted, it is entered in the register and published in the Official Gazette.
A design can be licensed or assigned only to the extent of the industrial products it covers.
An assignment or a license should be made in writing and should be recorded with the Patent Office in order to be effective against third parties.
Although the implementing regulations for the Designs has not been issued, the Registrar of patents has allowed the filing of designs.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
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