Copyright on registration
Section 11 of the Designs Act, 2000 deals with copyright on registration. When a design is registered, the registered proprietor of the design shall, subject to the provisions of this Act, have copyright in the design during ten years from the date of registration. The Act came into force on 11 May 2001.
(1) When a design is registered, the registered proprietor of the design shall, subject to the provisions of this Act, have copyright in the design during ten years from the date of registration.
(2) If, before the expiration of the said ten years, application for the extension of the period of copyright is made to the Controller in the prescribed manner, the Controller shall, on payment of the prescribed fee, extend the period of copy-right for a second period of five years from the expiration of the original period of ten years.
Section 11, The Designs Act, 2000 (Act 16 of 2000).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Whirlpool of India Ltd. v. Videocon Industries Ltd.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
s.11 copyright on registration (exclusive right to apply the design, read with s.2(c)) is expressly "subject to the provisions of this Act" including ss.4, 6 and 19; registration does not immunise a later registrant from an infringement suit by a prior registered proprietor under s.22. "Any person" in s.22 includes another registered proprietor; a subsequent registration is not a s.22(3)/s.19 defence against a prior registrant.
On this section: Court held s.11 exclusive right is qualified by the Act; prior registrant may sue another registered proprietor for piracy; subsequent registration cannot defeat prior copyright under s.11.
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Made under this section, and citing it
2 instruments name this provision in its title or its text without being made under it.
Questions about Section 11
What have the courts held on Section 11 of the Designs Act?
Whirlpool of India Ltd. v. Videocon Industries Ltd. (27 May 2014) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Court held s.11 exclusive right is qualified by the Act; prior registrant may sue another registered proprietor for piracy; subsequent registration cannot defeat prior copyright under s.11.
How do I find court cases under Section 11 of the Designs Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Designs Act 2000 11, section 11 Designs Act 2000, section 11 of the Designs Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Whirlpool of India Ltd. v. Videocon Industries Ltd. (27 May 2014).
What should I read with Section 11 of the Designs Act, and has it changed?
2 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. 2 instruments name it without being made under it, most recently The Designs (Amendment) Rules, 2014 (2014), then The Design Rules, 2001 (2001).
When did Section 11 of the Designs Act come into force?
Section 11 of the Designs Act, cited as Designs Act 2000 11, came into force on 11 May 2001, having been enacted on 25 May 2000. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 47. Power of Central Government to make rules897 words
- 44. Reciprocal arrangement with the United Kingdom and other convention countries or group of countries of inter-governmental organisations538 words
- 42. Avoidance of certain restrictive conditions521 words
- 30. Entry of assignment and transmissions in registers474 words
- 8. Power of Controller to make orders regarding substitution of application, etc464 words
- 2. Definitions458 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 14 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.