The Government of India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade) vide its notification dated September 17, 2019, has published the Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2019[i] (hereinafter the “Rules”) amending the Patents Rules, 2003 (hereinafter the “Principal Rules”). The amendment came into force from the date of notification.

The highlights of the amendments are as follows:

1. Rule 6: Leaving and serving documents

The amended Rules substitute Rule 6 (1-A) with the following:

“Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (1), a patent agent shall file, leave, make or give all documents only by electronic transmission duly authenticated:

Provided that any document, if asked to be submitted in original, shall be submitted within a period of fifteen days, failing which such documents shall be deemed not to have been filed.”

Analysis: This amendment is brought to reduce the burden of submission of scanned copies of original documents subsequent to the filing of the same online. The amendment clarifies that the original copies are required to be submitted only when requested by the Indian Patent Office, within 15 days from the date of request.

2. Rule 7: Fees

The amended Rules substitute the second proviso of Rule 7(1) with the following:

“Provided further that in the case of a small entity, or startup, every document, for which a fee has been specified, shall be accompanied by Form-28.”

Analysis: Again, this amendment is merely clarificatory in nature with respect to the filing of Form 28 along with documents that specify fee. In the principal rule, the provision existed only for small entities and the word ‘startup’ was not expressly mentioned. However, it was already in practice i.e. the patent office required Form 28 to be submitted with documents requiring fee even for startups.

3. Rule 24-C: Expedited examination of applications

The amended Rules substitute Rule 24C(1)(b) with the following:  

“(b) that the applicant is a startup; or

(c) that the applicant is a small entity; or

(d) that if the applicant is a natural person or in the case of joint applicants, all the applicants are natural persons, then the applicant or at least one of the applicants is a female; or

(e) that the applicant is a department of the Government; or

(f) that the applicant is an institution established by a Central, Provincial or State Act, which is owned or controlled by the Government; or

(g) that the applicant is a Government company as defined in clause (45) of section 2 of the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013); or

(h) that the applicant is an institution wholly or substantially financed by the Government;

Explanation:- For the purpose of this clause, the term ‘substantially financed’ shall have the same meaning as in the Explanation to sub-section (1) of section 14 of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971(56 of 1971); or

(i) that the application pertains to a sector which is notified by the Central Government on the basis of a request from the head of a department of the Central Government.:

 Provided that public comments are invited before any such notification; or

(j) that the applicant is eligible under an arrangement for processing a patent application pursuant to an agreement between Indian Patent Office and a foreign Patent Office.

Explanation: – The patentability of patent applications filed under clause (j) above will be in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Act.”

Analysis: The Principal Rules had provision for expedited examinations only in case of startups and international applications where India was a competent searching/examining authority, however, that has been amended to include additional categories of applicant such as small entity, natural person(s) having at least one female applicant, institution or department of Government or controlled by Government. Also, Government companies, institutions wholly or substantially financed by the Government, sectors notified by the Government and applicants eligible under an agreement with a foreign patent office can also file for expedited examination. This amendment will motivate other categories of applicants to have fast track examination of patent applications for early grant of patent.

Further, in order to accommodate the said categories, the corresponding Form 18A has been amended.

4. First Schedule: Transmittal Fee & Certified copy fee towards filing an International Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application

The amended Rules add:

16000. If the PCT application is filed online, the applicant is not required to pay any fee towards the Transmittal fee. Earlier applicants were required to pay fees ranging from 3200 to 16000. The fees for physical filing remain unchanged.
16001. If a request is filed for preparation of a certified copy of priority document and sharing the same via e-transmission through WIPO DAS, the applicant is not required to pay any fee for the same. Earlier applicants had to pay fees ranging from 1000 to 5000. The fees for physical filing remain unchanged.

The amendment in the Rules, especially the expansion of the expedited examination system, would augment the government’s patent prosecution highway (PPH) program that intends to harmonize the patent examination standards and encourage the filing of patent applications in India. In September 2018, after the Second JPO- DIPP Review Meeting in August 2018, the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) had agreed in principle, to start a bilateral PPH program on a pilot basis in certain identified fields of inventions in the first quarter of fiscal year 2019.[ii] The amendment seems to be a result of the agreement and the intention of improving the overall IP environment of the country. Additionally, the waiver of the transmittal and certified copy fees would also increase the filing of PCT applications and facilitate the ease of doing business in India.