Rules 59 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Rules 59 to 62 fill in the procedure for cancelling a registered user under section 26 of the Act. Rule 59 lets the Registrar demand information to check topographical-dimension stipulations and presume non-compliance if it is not given. Rule 60 prescribes the notice on Form OLD-6. Rule 61 lets other parties intervene on Form LD-16 within one month. The next provision, printed without a rule number, covers a registered user's own application under section 31(2).
This article reflects the Rules as amended up to G.S.R. 689(E) dated 14 September 2012 (the only amendment). Check sicldr.gov.in for later notifications. Fees are those in Schedule I as notified in 2001; the Registry's forms page lists the same amounts (checked 3 October 2026). Anyone served with a cancellation notice should take legal dispute resolution advice before the one-month intervention period runs.
The Registrar may require the proprietor or the registered user to give information to show that stipulations in their agreement on topographical dimensions are being enforced; if it is not furnished in the time allowed, he may presume non-enforcement or non-compliance (rule 59). Notice of a cancellation application is on Form OLD-6 to the proprietor and each registered user other than the applicant (rule 60). Anyone notified who wants to intervene gives notice on Form LD-16 within one month (entry 14: Rs 1000) (rule 61).
Rule 59: information on topographical dimensions
59(1): the Registrar's power
"The Registrar may at any time or from time to time require the registered proprietor or the registered user of a layout-design to furnish him with such information as he may require for satisfying himself that the stipulations in the agreement between the registered proprietor and the registered user, regarding the topographical dimensions of the layout-design are being enforced or complied with."
This supports section 26(1)(c) of the Act, under which the Registrar may cancel a registered user on his own motion, or on any person's application, where a stipulation on topographical dimensions is not being enforced or complied with. The Act does not define "topographical dimensions", and neither do the Rules; see sections 26 to 29.
59(2): the presumption
"Where any such information as is referred to in sub-rule (1) is not furnished within the stipulated time allowed by the Registrar, the Registrar may presume that the stipulation in the agreement regarding the topographical dimensions of the layout-design is not being enforced or is not complied with."
| Step | Rule 59 |
|---|---|
| Registrar asks either party for information | 59(1), at any time and from time to time |
| Information is furnished in the time allowed | The Registrar is satisfied, or not, on that information |
| Information is not furnished in time | He may presume non-enforcement or non-compliance (59(2)) |
The presumption is permissive ("may"), but it moves the risk to the party that does not answer. A proprietor that ignores a letter risks a presumption that supports cancellation of its licensee's entry, and a licensee that ignores it risks the same.
Rule 60: notice on Form OLD-6
"The notice required for in respect of every application under sub-section (2) of section 26 shall be made on Form OLD-6 and shall be sent to the registered proprietor and each registered user (not being the applicant) of the layout-design." Section 26(2) requires notice of every application to the proprietor and each registered user other than the applicant. Rule 60 prescribes the form. Form OLD-6 is an official form issued by the Registry; see Schedule III.
Rule 61: procedure on an application to cancel
- 61(1). The Registrar notifies in writing applications under section 26 to the registered proprietor and each registered user (not being the applicant).
- 61(2). Any person notified who intends to intervene "shall within one month of the receipt of such notification give notice to the Registrar on Form LD-16 accompanied by prescribed fee" and send with it a statement of the grounds of intervention. The Registrar then serves copies of the notice and statement on the applicant, the registered proprietor, the registered user whose registration is in question and any other registered user who intervenes. Schedule I, entry 14: Rs 1000, Form LD-16, for notice of intention to intervene in a proceeding for cancellation of entries of a registered user.
- 61(3). The applicant and any person notified may, within such time or times as the Registrar appoints, leave evidence in support of their case, and the Registrar, "after giving the parties an opportunity of being heard, may accept or refuse the application."
The proviso in section 26(3), giving the proprietor a reasonable opportunity of being heard before cancellation, runs alongside rule 61(3). The application forms themselves (LD-14 and LD-15) are in Rules 55 to 58.
The provision printed without a number
The printed Rules carry, after rule 61 and before the heading "Chapter VI", a provision headed "Registered User's Application under Sub-Section (2) of Section 31" without a rule number. It falls in sequence as rule 62, but the number is missing in the printed text. It reads:
"Application under sub-section (2) of section 31 shall be made on Form LD-6 or Form LD-17 or Form LD-18 or Form LD-19 accompanied by prescribed fee as may be appropriate by a registered user of a layout-design and the Registrar may require such evidence by affidavit or otherwise as he may think fit as to the circumstances in which the application is made."
| Form | Use (as listed in Schedule I) | Fee (Schedule I) |
|---|---|---|
| LD-6 | Correction of error or amendment (entry 6) | Rs 300 |
| LD-17 | Change of name or description where no change in identity (entry 15) | Rs 1000 |
| LD-18 | Alter an entry of address (entry 16), unless exempted from fee under rule 67(3) | Rs 1000 |
| LD-19 | Entry of an address for service in India (entry 17), unless exempted under rule 67(3) | Rs 1000 |
Section 31(2) of the Act lets the Registrar, on a registered user's application and after notice to the proprietor, correct errors or enter changes in the user's name, address or description; see sections 30 and 31. The proprietor's counterpart application is in rule 68. Because rule 62 is not numbered in the copy, cite it as the provision on a registered user's application under section 31(2).
A worked example
A Gujarat manufacturer is a registered user under a licence that fixes dimension stipulations for the layout. The Registrar writes to the proprietor and the manufacturer asking for information on whether the stipulations are being enforced. The proprietor replies in the time allowed, but the manufacturer does not. Under rule 59(2), the Registrar may presume non-compliance. A competitor's cancellation application follows, and Form OLD-6 notices go to the proprietor and the manufacturer. The manufacturer files Form LD-16 within one month, with the Rs 1000 fee and a statement of grounds, and leaves evidence when the Registrar appoints a time. Separately, after a move, it applies on the appropriate form for its address entry under section 31(2).
Need help in a cancellation proceeding?
Whether you are the proprietor, a licensee or an applicant, the information requests and the one-month intervention window decide the outcome. Our legal dispute resolution team can prepare the notice, the statement and the evidence.
Key takeaways
- The Registrar may ask either party for information on topographical dimension stipulations and may presume non-compliance if it is not given in time.
- Notice of a cancellation application goes on Form OLD-6 to the proprietor and each registered user except the applicant.
- Intervention is by Form LD-16 within one month of the notice, with a statement of grounds (entry 14: Rs 1000).
- Evidence is left at times the Registrar appoints; the Registrar hears the parties and accepts or refuses.
- A registered user's own section 31(2) application uses Forms LD-6, LD-17, LD-18 or LD-19; the provision is printed without its rule number.
Read next
- Sections 26 to 29: cancellation in the Act
- Rules 55 to 58: Form LD-13 and cancellation forms
- Sections 30 and 31: rectification and correction
Disclaimer: Based on the Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Act, 2000 (never amended; commencement as notified in 2004, 2011 and 2014) and the Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Rules, 2001 as amended by G.S.R. 689(E) of 14 September 2012, as consulted on 3 October 2026. Check sicldr.gov.in for later notifications and current forms and fees. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.