Patent

In the last few years, the Indian government has taken various steps to reform the patent filing process in India and strengthen the Indian IP ecosystem. In the latest series of developments, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (“MoCI”) published draft Patents (2nd Amendment) Rules, 2024 (“the draft Rules") on January 2, 2024, seeking comments from the public and/or any stakeholders. Public comments to the draft Rules are invited until February 2, 2024. ......

A Division Bench of the Delhi High Court has brought much-required clarity on filing of divisional applications in India, which at least two different single judge benches of the same court had disagreed upon previously. ......

When is a new product considered a mere discovery of something that subsists in nature and thus unpatentable, and when is it altogether new or unfamiliar, and thus, worthy of being granted a patent? This is the question that the Delhi High Court tackled in the recent case of Diamond Star Global SDN BHD v Joint Controller of Patents. ......

Over 100 million animals are used in laboratory experiments worldwide every year. These are only estimates; the exact number is unknown and could possibly even be higher. These animals are either killed outright in scientific procedures, or used to assess the safety and efficacy of drugs and cosmetics. ......

Before a new drug, biologic or medical device is approved and authorized for market launch, it has to undergo a long and complex process involving extensive testing and clinical trials to ensure its safety and efficacy. However, for patients who have exhausted all other options, sometimes an unapproved or pre-approved or investigational drug could be the only hope. ......

Patent marking entails marking a patented product with its relevant patent number. Proper patent marking can help obtain higher monetary damages in a patent infringement lawsuit, as marking means that infringers cannot claim ignorance of liability. However, if there is no marking, damages are likely to be calculated only from the time of actual notice. ......

A key question that confronts participants in any disruptive and innovative industry is that of intellectual property (IP) protection. Software is no exception. Multiple IP routes, e.g., copyrights, patents, and trade secrets, are available for protecting software, but the appropriate choice is not always automatically evident. ......

India is the largest producer of generic drugs in the world, and thus, it is no surprise that a great deal of patent litigation in India has centred on the manufacture of generics. While there are provisions in the law that permit the use of patented drugs for research and development (“R&D”) and for obtaining regulatory approvals, permissibility around the export of such drugs for similar purposes can be in the grey. ......

It is sometimes presumed that the patent application process concludes with the grant of a patent, after it has been successfully prosecuted. Although prosecution examines an application for patentability, its true test arguably comes during the opposition process. ......