Demystifying Copyright vs design law India for Indian Creators

Understanding Copyright vs design law India is essential for creators whose work treads the line between art and industry. Under Indian law, copyright automatically covers original artistic creations such as paintings, photographs, or literary works, lasting for the creator’s life plus 60 years

However, when an artistic work is industrially applied—say, printed onto merchandise—its protection under copyright ends if reproduced more than 50 times, unless registered under the Designs Act This mechanism ensures legal clarity: creators must consider design registration for mass-produced versions of their art, or else risk losing intellectual property safeguards after limited reproduction