Patents

Court comes to the rescue of patent applicants - Extensions of deadlines in exceptional circumstances.

As patent lawyers, meeting deadlines can be crucial to the success of a patent application. Two of the most important deadlines one needs to be aware of while prosecuting patent applications in India are the deadline for filing a request for examination and the deadline for filing a response to the…


Who can file the request for examination of a patent application in India?

In the Indian Patent system, an application for the grant of a patent is taken up for examination by the Indian Patent Office only when a request for examination of the application is filed. Unless a request for examination is filed by either the Applicant or any other interested party there shall…


Pre-Litigation mediation in Intellectual Property matters in India

The Commercial Courts Act (hereinafter referred to as “the Act”) was enacted in 2015 to establish a definite procedural framework for dealing with commercial disputes. Commercial disputes include any dispute arising out of trade relationship between parties such as mercantile documents, partnership…


Delhi High Court decides on the appropriate jurisdiction (HC) for appeals against the orders of the Patent Office

The Delhi High Court in the matters of Dr. Reddys Laboratories Limited & Anr. Vs. The Controller of Patents & Ors. C.O. (CONN.IPD-PAT) No. 3/2021 with Thyssenkrupp Rothe Erde Germany GMBH Vs. The Controller of Patents & Anr. C.O. (CONN.IPD-PAT) 1/2022 and Elta Systems Ltd. Vs. The…


Pre-Litigation Mediation in Commercial Disputes in India

Alternate methods of dispute resolution are amicable methods of resolving disputes without the intervention of courts. It decreases the burden of the courts and encourages settlement proceedings among the parties. Generally, Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) uses one or more neutral third parties…


Delay in filing Request for Examination due to negligence of legal counsel - Madras High Court orders restoration of the abandoned patent application - India

November 4, 2022: The Madras High Court allowed the two writ petitions filed by the applicant with respect to two patent applications that were deemed abandoned by the Indian Patent Office on account of delay in filing the Request for Examination. In Chandra Sekar Vs. The Controller of Patents and…


Balancing IPR and Global Health: COVID-19 Vaccines

As most readers will be aware, the period of time between 2020-2021 has been marked with unprecedented disaster and suffering. The year 2020 started out with the Australian wildfires, which was followed by rising geo-political tensions, and then of course, COVID-19 spread rapidly across the globe.…


Recategorization of Patent Applicants and Implementation Barriers to Rule 7(3) of The Patents Rules 

The Patents (Second Amendment) Rules, 2020 (hereinafter referred to as the ‘amendment rules’) that came into force on November 4, 2020, primarily recategorized the Applicants and the fees paid by them for filing and prosecution of a patent. Presently, the amendment has classified applicants into…


Renewal of Customs Recordal in India

In this current age, with counterfeit goods on the rise, measures such as recording one’s intellectual property with the customs authority in order to curb infringement is a necessity. More information regarding the procedure and requirements for recordal with the customs authority are available…


INDIA - Lifting of extension of deadlines due to COVID-19

To alleviate the difficulties faced by lawyers and litigants across the country due to the nationwide lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Supreme Court on 23rd March 2020 passed an order in In Re: Cognizance for Extension of Limitation granting an indefinite extension of the…