A product’s appearance can be as commercially valuable as its function. Iran’s 2024 Industrial Property Act protects that appearance through industrial design registration. This guide explains what an industrial design in Iran covers, what falls outside it, how registration works, and how long protection lasts.
In short: an industrial design protects the way a product looks — its shape, pattern, or ornamentation — not how it works. To register, the design must be both new and original.
- What it covers — the visual appearance of a product: lines, colours, or a three-dimensional shape (Article 82).
- Conditions — the design must be new (not disclosed anywhere before filing) and original (independently created) (Article 84).
- Term — five years from the filing date, renewable twice, up to fifteen years (Article 92).
- Useful option — publication can be deferred for up to twelve months, keeping a design out of public view until launch (Article 90).
What an industrial design is
Under Article 82, an industrial design is any composition of lines or colours, or any three-dimensional shape, that gives a special outward, visual appearance to an industrial product or a product of handicraft. In other words, the right is about how a product looks — its form, pattern, or ornamentation — not how it works.
That distinction is decisive. A design that has merely a technical function, and gives no new appearance, is not protectable as a design. Instead, that territory belongs to patents or utility models.
What cannot be registered as an industrial design
Article 83 lists what falls outside design protection:
- designs containing official state symbols;
- methods and principles of design;
- designs contrary to sharia, public order, or morals;
- a mere change in the dimensions of existing goods;
- designs that conflict with another’s registered trademark;
- purely functional designs with no new appearance;
- the component (spare) parts of composite designs.
The two conditions: new and original
To be registrable, a design must be both new and original (Article 84). “New” means it has not been disclosed to the public anywhere in the world before the filing or priority date. “Original” means the designer created it independently, and it is not a copy or imitation of an existing design.
The two conditions work together. Independent creation is not enough if the design was already public. Likewise, novelty is not enough if the design merely copies another.
Filing and publication
An applicant can file several designs in one application where they belong to the same class, or form one set used together, on payment of a separate fee (Article 87). The office completes examination against the statutory conditions within four months. The applicant then has one month to respond to the examiner’s report.
Deferred publication is a useful feature for products not yet launched. Under Article 90, the applicant may ask that the application not be published for up to twelve months from the filing date. This lets a design stay protected while staying out of public view until launch. Once the design is published, third parties then have two months to oppose it (Article 91).
Term and rights
An industrial design lasts five years from the filing date, renewable for two further five-year periods — a maximum of fifteen years of protection (Article 92).
During that time, the owner has the exclusive right to manufacture, sell, and import items bearing the design (Article 93). The owner may therefore sue anyone who does these things for commercial purposes without consent — or who commits an act that would customarily lead to a future infringement — before the competent court.
Design, patent, or trademark?
Appearance, function, and brand often overlap in a single product, so it is worth being deliberate about which right to use. A design protects appearance. A patent or utility model protects a technical solution. A trademark protects the sign that identifies the source.
A distinctive product shape might, in principle, touch more than one of these. However, the Act keeps the categories separate, and the office will refuse a design that is really doing a trademark’s or a patent’s job. Choosing the right instrument at the outset therefore avoids a registration that cannot hold.
For the neighbouring rights, see our companion guides on patents, utility models, and trademarks in Iran.
Frequently asked questions
What is an industrial design in Iran?
Under Article 82 of the 2024 Industrial Property Act, an industrial design is any composition of lines or colours, or any three-dimensional shape, that gives a special visual appearance to a product. It protects how a product looks, not how it works.
What cannot be registered as an industrial design in Iran?
Article 83 excludes, among others, official state symbols, designs contrary to sharia or public order, a mere change in the dimensions of existing goods, designs that conflict with a registered trademark, purely functional designs with no new appearance, and the spare parts of composite designs.
How long does an industrial design last in Iran?
Under Article 92, protection lasts five years from the filing date and can be renewed for two further five-year periods, giving a maximum of fifteen years.
Can you delay publication of an industrial design in Iran?
Yes. Under Article 90, an applicant can request deferred publication for up to twelve months from the filing date. This keeps the design protected but out of public view until the product launches.
What is the difference between an industrial design and a patent in Iran?
A design protects the appearance of a product, while a patent or utility model protects a technical solution or function. A design with only a technical function and no new appearance cannot be registered as a design.
This is general information on the Industrial Property Act, not legal advice. For a specific matter, speak with HENGAM’s team.
Shahnoosh Haeri
Shahnoosh represents rights holders in patent, trademark, and corporate disputes — from cancellation and infringement actions to enforcement before Iran's specialist courts, backed by hands-on patent and utility-model expertise.