Layout Design 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.
Sections 13 to 15 finish the journey from application to registered right. Section 13 says when the Registrar registers a layout-design, that registration takes effect as of the application date, and that a certificate is issued. Section 14 allows joint proprietors in narrow cases. Section 15 fixes the term: ten years counted from filing or first commercial exploitation, whichever is earlier, with no renewal provision in the Act.
This article reflects the Act as amended up to 3 October 2026 (the Act has not been amended since it was enacted in 2000). Check sicldr.gov.in for later notifications. Sections 13 to 15 have been in force since 1 May 2011.
After acceptance, and once the time for opposition has expired without opposition or an opposition has been decided for the applicant, the Registrar shall register the layout-design, and the registration is treated as dated from the date of the application. A sealed certificate is issued. If registration is not completed within twelve months because of the applicant's default, the Registrar may treat the application as abandoned after notice. The term is ten years from the earlier of filing or first commercial exploitation, anywhere. The Act has no renewal provision.
Section 13(1): when the Registrar registers
Subject to section 9, once an application has been accepted and either (a) it has not been opposed and the time for notice of opposition has expired, or (b) it has been opposed and the opposition decided in favour of the applicant, the Registrar "shall register the said layout-design in the register". The registration is "as of the date of the making of the said application and that date shall be deemed to be the date of registration".
Two consequences. The registration date is the application date, not the date on which the entry is made. And because the term in section 15 may run from filing, the effective life of the right is shorter than ten years by the time between filing and registration. The Act does not add that period back.
Section 13(2): the certificate
On registration, "the Registrar shall issue to the applicant a certificate in the prescribed form of the registration thereof sealed with the seal of the Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Registry". The prescribed form and any duplicate are in the Rules; see our article on Rules 44 to 46. If you are building a portfolio of chip layouts, a record of each certificate belongs in your IP portfolio management file.
Section 13(3): abandonment after twelve months
"Where registration of a layout-design is not completed within twelve months from the date of the application by reason of default on the part of the applicant", the Registrar "may, after giving notice to the applicant in the prescribed manner, treat the application as abandoned unless it is completed within the time specified in that behalf in the notice". Three conditions apply: twelve months have passed from the application; the delay is by reason of the applicant's default; and the Registrar has given notice and the time in the notice has run. The Registrar acts only on default of the applicant, not on delay in the Registry.
Section 13(4): clerical errors
The Registrar "may amend the register or a certificate of registration for the purpose of correcting a clerical error or an obvious mistake". This is a limited power to fix slips. A change of substance goes through the correction and rectification provisions in sections 30 and 31, discussed in our article on sections 30 and 31.
Section 14: joint proprietors
Section 14(1) is a general rule: "nothing in this Act shall authorise the registration of two or more persons who claim to be the creator of a layout-design", save as sub-section (2) provides.
Section 14(2) allows registration of two or more persons as joint proprietors where their relation is such that (a) all of them have put the combined intellectual effort in creating the design, or (b) in relation to the creation, all of them are connected in such a manner that the intellectual effort of each is not distinguishable. The Act then applies "as if in those rights vested in a single person".
| Situation | Can they be joint proprietors? |
|---|---|
| Two engineers whose combined intellectual effort created the design | Yes, under 14(2)(a) |
| Several contributors whose efforts cannot be told apart | Yes, under 14(2)(b) |
| Two companies each claiming to be the sole creator of the same design | No, under 14(1) |
Section 14 speaks of persons claiming to be the creator. It does not mention a co-ownership that arises after creation, for example through an assignment of a share. Such cases should be read with the assignment sections and the register entries; the Act is silent on a part-share. See sections 19 to 21.
Section 15: duration
"The registration of a layout-design shall be only for a period of ten years counted from the date of filing an application for registration or from the date of first commercial exploitation anywhere in India or in any country whichever is earlier."
| Trigger | Counted from |
|---|---|
| Filing of the application | The date of filing |
| First commercial exploitation anywhere in India or in any country | The date of first exploitation |
| Which one applies | Whichever is earlier |
The wording uses "anywhere in India or in any country", wider than section 7(1)(b), which refers to India or a convention country. Because section 7(1) lets a design be exploited up to two years before filing, a start-up that sells first and files later has its ten years running from the sale date. The text gives no way to extend, restore or renew a registration after ten years. Do not assume a renewal fee or form exists; the Act and the Rules contain none for this purpose. Check sicldr.gov.in for any later notification.
A worked example
A fabless company sells its first batch of chips in India in April and files an application fifteen months later. The sale was for not more than two years before the filing date, so the proviso to section 7(1) treats it as not having been commercially exploited and registration can proceed. Under section 15 the ten years run from the earlier of filing or first commercial exploitation, so they run from April, not from the filing. When the Registrar registers, the date of registration is deemed to be the date of the application under section 13(1), but that does not shift the section 15 start date.
Need help with registration and term?
When a start-up plans first sales and filing together, the order matters for both registrability and the ten-year term. Our IP portfolio management team can plan the dates and keep a register of expiry dates for each layout.
Key takeaways
- The Registrar "shall register" after the opposition period passes unopposed or an opposition is decided for the applicant.
- Registration is dated from the application date.
- A sealed certificate in the prescribed form is issued.
- Twelve months of applicant default can lead to abandonment after notice.
- Joint proprietors are allowed only where efforts are combined or indistinguishable.
- The term is ten years from the earlier of filing or first commercial exploitation; the Act has no renewal provision.
Read next
- Sections 10 to 12: opposition
- Sections 16 and 17: rights of the proprietor
- Rules 44 to 46: the certificate
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.