Can Animated GUIs Be Registered as Designs?

Can Animated GUIs Be Registered as Designs?

The Indian Designs Office’s draft GUI and Icon Design Guidelines, 2026 represent a step toward formalizing the registration of graphical user interfaces following the Calcutta High Court’s seminal decision in NEC Corporation v. Controller of Patents, which affirmed GUIs as protectable under the Designs Act, 2000.

However, as Harshita Bhola points out, the proposed requirement to submit individual frames of an animated GUI may undermine the essence of dynamic design — the visual flow and user experience across transitions. This risks overlooking the cumulative creative contribution, reducing protection to static fragments rather than the holistic interface.

For IP practitioners, this highlights the need to advocate for examination standards that recognize animation as a unified design expression. The final guidelines should balance administrative clarity with protection for evolving digital design innovation.