Tracking Design and Semiconductor (DE/SCD) Matters in the Delhi IPD

How-to · IP Litigation Tracking

Updated for 2026 · Claw Editorial

Design and semiconductor layout-design disputes are a small slice of the Delhi High Court IP Division docket, so they are easy to miss. A generic search for "design case Delhi" often returns trademark and patent noise, and a party name alone may not be enough. The reliable method is to use the case-type code that the court itself assigns. This guide shows the DE and SCD codes from Rule 5 of the IPD Rules, how to use them, and how to keep following a matter after you find it. Last verified October 2026.

01Why design and SCD matters are hard to find

Design and semiconductor matters are hard to find because there are few of them, the party names are often company names that change, and the subject matter is visual or technical, so keyword search does not help.

The numbers are small, so noise wins

Trademark and patent matters fill most IPD cause lists. A design petition or a layout-design appeal can sit between many of them. If you only scan the daily list by eye, you can miss it.

Names and titles do not describe the dispute

A cause title shows parties and a case number. It does not tell you that the dispute is about the shape of a bottle or the layout of an integrated circuit. You need the case type to know what the matter really is.

Two different Acts, two different tracks

Designs are governed by the Designs Act, 2000. Semiconductor layout-designs are governed by the Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Act, 2000. Each has its own registry process and its own route to the High Court. Mixing them up leads to wrong searches.

The case-type code is the one field that tells you what a matter is about before you open a single document.

02The Rule 5 DE and SCD case-type codes

Rule 5 of the Delhi High Court Intellectual Property Rights Division Rules, 2022 sets the nomenclature used to file IP matters before the IPD. For designs and semiconductor layout-designs, the codes are as below.

Note the spelling. The code for designs is IPD-DE, not IPD-DES. In practice, case numbers on court sites and orders appear as short forms such as C.O. (COMM.IPD-DE) or C.A. (COMM.IPD-SCD), so search for both the long and short form.

Design infringement suits (piracy of a registered design under the Designs Act) are filed as commercial IP suits. Check the exact suit nomenclature the court uses for these on the case status page, as it can differ from the petition and appeal codes above.

03Step-by-step: finding a design or SCD matter

Follow these steps in order. Each one narrows the search.

1. Decide the Act. Is it a design (shape, pattern, ornamentation of an article) or a semiconductor layout-design (the layout of an integrated circuit)? This tells you which code to use.
2. Pick the proceeding type. Original petition, or appeal against a registry decision? Appeals use the "Civil Appeal" form of the code.
3. Search by case type and year. On the court case status page, choose the IPD case type that matches the code, then enter the year. This lists every matter of that type filed that year.
4. Add party names. If you know a party, search by name as well. Try short, long and misspelled forms, because company names are often written differently in different filings.
5. Open the order sheet. Confirm the matter is really about a design or layout-design, and note the next date.
6. Check the registry record. For designs, look up the registered design number on IP India. This links the court matter to the registration at stake.

If you already know the case number, you can search by court plus number directly and skip steps 3 and 4.

04Following the matter after you find it

Finding the matter is half the job. The other half is not missing the next hearing, order or cause list entry.

• Dates and cause lists: note the next date and check the daily IPD cause list near each hearing. IPD matters are often listed before specific benches, and listing can change at short notice.
• Orders: download each order after every hearing. Interim orders in design disputes can set short deadlines.
• Linked matters: a design dispute often has a connected cancellation proceeding or a related suit. Look for matters with the same parties or the same design number.
• Keep one record: write the case number, code, parties, design or layout-design number, next date and last order in one place.

Doing this by hand across many matters is slow. A tracking tool that alerts you on new listings and orders saves the daily checking. If you are comparing tools in this space, see the alternatives to eLawOffice guide.

05Registry side and court side: keep both in view

A design or layout-design dispute usually has two sides: the registry record and the court record.

The registry side

For designs, the registry is the Designs Office under IP India. It holds the registration, its status and renewal position. For semiconductor layout-designs, registration is with the Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Registry. An appeal against a registry decision goes to the High Court (Section 36 for designs and Section 42 for layout-designs, as the Rule 5 codes show).

The court side

The court record has the case type, parties, orders and dates. Reading both together tells you whether the design is valid, who owns it, and what the court has already said about it.

For global design filings, WIPO publishes its own resources on industrial designs at wipo.int. For earlier judgments on design disputes, Indian Kanoon is a free public source.

If your concern is trademarks rather than designs, see trademark opposition and brand protection in India. If it is copyright, see copyright registration vs tracking in India, since copyright works through a separate office and a separate tracking route.

06Common mistakes to avoid

• Searching only by party name. Names vary. Use the case-type code as well.
• Using the wrong code. IPD-DE is for designs. IPD-SCD is for semiconductor layout-designs. They are not interchangeable.
• Ignoring appeals. A registry decision may be appealed. Search the Civil Appeal form of the code too.
• Trusting an old rule copy. Rules and practice directions get amended. Always check the current text on the court website.
• Not recording the design number. The registration number is the thread that links the registry and the court record.

07Where Claw fits

Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.

A design or semiconductor matter is easy to lose in a long IPD list, so the useful step is following it by its DE or SCD code and reading every order. Claw lets you search and track cases, orders and hearings across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, with 30 crore+ judgments and results in under 5 seconds, so you can follow a Civil Original or Civil Appeal (Comm. IPD-DE or IPD-SCD) matter by court plus number or party, and see how similar design disputes were decided, with Supreme Court judgments from 1950 and High Court judgments from 1990.

Claw does not use customer documents to train AI models. Create a FREE Claw account to track design and semiconductor matters by party or advocate name. To search the wider body of law, see case search across Indian courts.

08Sources and further reading

• Delhi High Court (IPD Rules, 2022, case status and cause lists): delhihighcourt.nic.in
• IP India (Designs Office, public search): ipindia.gov.in
• WIPO (industrial designs): wipo.int
• Indian Kanoon (public judgments): indiankanoon.org
• Claw: clawlaw.in

Last verified October 2026. The Rule 5 DE and SCD codes were checked against the published text of the Delhi High Court IPD Rules, 2022. Rules can be amended, so confirm against the current court notification before relying on them.

09Frequently asked questions