By Lucy Rana and Pooja Thakur
The Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM) has issued a public notice moving the communication of First Examination Reports (FERs) in design applications to email. With effect from 2 October 2026, design FERs will ordinarily be sent only to the email address the applicant has provided in Form-1, under the “Address for Service in India” particulars, and physical dispatch by post will ordinarily stop. The office has framed the change as part of paperless administration and the Digital India initiative.
One word in the notice is worth holding onto: “ordinarily.” The office keeps a narrow discretion to send a physical copy where the Controller, for reasons recorded in writing, considers it necessary in the interest of justice or for administrative reasons. For planning purposes, though, applicants should treat email as the only channel.
Why the email on record now matters more
The Designs Rules, 2001 (Rule 4) already require applicants to give an email address, mobile number and contact details, and the Design e-Filing Portal has long been the platform for filing and for official communications. What changes on 2 October is that this email becomes the office’s sole route to the applicant for FERs. So the address needs to be one that exists, that is still in use, and that someone actually watches throughout prosecution.
A missed email can mean a missed deadline
An FER sets out the examiner’s objections and starts time running for a response. That has not changed. What has changed is the medium, and an email is easier to miss than a letter on the desk. If it goes unread and the response period lapses, the application can be lost. That is the real reason to treat a fairly dry-sounding notice seriously.
What applicants should do
- Check that the email in Form-1 (or on the Design e-Filing Portal) is correct, valid, active and accessible throughout the life of the application.
- Monitor the inbox and the spam/junk folder, so official communications are not filtered out.
- Watch the design application status for messages such as “Case is Waiting for Examination Report Reply (FER generated on …)”.
- Update contact details promptly on any change, in line with the Designs Act, 2000 and the Designs Rules, 2001.
- Put internal docketing in place so each FER is logged and diarised the moment it arrives.
A word on timing
Ahead of the change, it is a sensible moment to run a short check of the contact details held across your design filings while there is time to correct anything. We are doing the same for the matters we handle; should a review of your records be of use, your usual contact at the firm would be glad to help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Designs Office Switches FAQ
2 October 2026.
By email, to the address given in Form-1 under the “Address for Service in India” particulars. Physical dispatch by post will ordinarily be discontinued.
Only where the Controller, for reasons recorded in writing, considers it necessary in the interest of justice or for administrative reasons.
Keep the registered email correct, active and monitored (including the spam folder), watch the application status, update contact details on any change, and diarise each FER on receipt.