Patent

Can “any person” oppose a patent application before it is granted? Or must persons now provide their credentials before filing oppositions? Are there circumstances when such oppositions cannot be entertained? The Bombay High Court was faced with questions like these in the recent case of Dhaval Diyora vs. Union of India (WP(L) 3718/2020; 05 November 2020). ......

In patent law, there is a constant tug of war between the importance of incentivizing innovators and the need to ensure that consumers have access to innovations. The law reflects this tussle as well. But this constant striving to balance the rights between patentees and consumers is essential for the patent system to function and be meaningful to society. ......

The phrase “at least one of” is commonly used in patent claims, but its interpretation is subjective and has led to some controversy. The issue that arises is this: when the phrase in its entirety is “at least one of A, B and C”, should it be understood as at least one of A AND at least one of B AND at least one of C, or should it be understood as at least one of A OR B OR C. ......

India’s latest series of amendments to its Patent Rules are likely to hugely benefit startups and small entities seeking patent protection for their inventions. With these amendments, overall filing and prosecution fees for startups and small entities have been significantly reduced. ......

Indian patent law has a unique requirement under which every patentee and licensee of a granted patent must file a statement detailing the commercial working of patented inventions in India. The recent overhaul of the information required to be submitted under patent working statements (contained in Form 27) invites a reconsideration of the law around non-working of patents. ......

Have you launched your Startup? Have you blogged about your product or your offering extensively? Have you made videos or tutorials about your product and shared it on YouTube®? If you answered any of these questions with a “Yes!”, then chances are that you may have unknowingly lost your opportunity to patent your ideas. ... ...

A divisional patent application (also known simply as a “divisional”) is a patent application that is based on, or derived from, a previously-filed parent application. Divisionals are filed when the claims in a parent application pertain to more than one invention. ......

After five decades of remaining unchanged, the unique requirement of the “statement of working” of patents in India has finally received a much-needed overhaul. The amendments to Form 27, under which the statement must be submitted to the Indian Patent Office (IPO) periodically, were notified under Patent (Amendment) Rules, 2020, and came into effect from 19 October 2020. ......

India has recently notified amendments to its patent rules which are likely to speed up, and significantly reduce the cost of, patent filing for applicants claiming priority from international applications. ......