Supreme Court Clarifies Copyright vs Design Act: A Landmark Framework

The Supreme Court of India established a framework to distinguish between works protected under the Copyright Act and designs eligible for the Designs Act. The judgement addressed the often-disputed overlap in intellectual property rights concerning 'artistic works' and 'designs', offering a two-step analysis to resolve ambiguity.

The Supreme Court of India has introduced a comprehensive framework to differentiate between works safeguarded under the Copyright Act and designs protected by the Designs Act.

This significant decision, delivered by a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh, arose from a case involving intellectual property rights in industrial designs.

The Court's verdict provides clarity on disputes concerning the overlap in IP rights between 'artistic works' and 'designs', offering a methodical two-step analysis to determine classification.

(With inputs from agencies.)