An Overview - The Patents Rule, 2003

The Patent Rule, 2003 is Delegated Legislation and the Executive body under Central Government can make rules and amend time t time as per the power conferred Section. 159 under the Patent Act, 1970. The objective of Patent Rules are to make sure the administrative flexibility where in the Rules can be made as per the operational requirement like changes in Fees, Changes in timelines and other procedural aspect without amending the Patent Act, 1970. The amendment in Act need to go via Parliamentary process which is lengthy process.

List of Amendments in the Patent Act:

1. The Patent Rule, 1972 (w.e.f. 20/April/1972)

2. The Patent Rule, 2002 (w.e.f. 20/Sept/2002)

3. The Patent Act, 2003 (w.e.f. 02/May/2003)

4. The Patent Rule, 2002 (w.e.f. 20/May/2003, 02/April/2007, and 6/June/2019)

5. Patent Amendments Rules 2024 

CHAPTER I  - PRELIMINARY

Rule 1. Short title and commencement

(1) These rules may be called the Patents Rules, 2003.

(2) They shall come into force on the date on which the Patents (Amendment) Act, 2002 comes into force.

Rule 2. Definitions

In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires,-

(a) "Act" means the Patents Act, 1970 (39 of 1970);

(b) "appropriate office" means the appropriate office of the patent office as specified in rule 4;

(c) "article" includes any substance or material, and any plant, machinery or apparatus, whether affixed to land or not;

(ca)"educational institution" means a university established or incorporated by or under Central Act, a Provincial Act, or a State Act, and includes any other educational institution as recognised by an authority designated by the Central Government or the State Government or the Union territories in this regard;

(d) "Form" means a Form specified in the Second Schedule;

(da) "person other than a natural person" shall include a "small entity";

(db) "Request for examination" means a request for examination, including expedited examination, made under section 11B in respect of rule 24B or rule 24C;

(e) "Schedule" means Schedule to these rules;

(f) "section" means a section of the Act;

(fa) "small entity" means, -

(i) in case of an enterprise engaged in the manufacture or production of goods, an enterprise where the investment in plant and machinery does not exceed the limit specified for a medium enterprise under clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 7 of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006 (27 of 2006); and

(ii) in case of an enterprise engaged in providing or rendering of services, an enterprise where the investment in equipment is not more than the limit specified for medium enterprises under clause (b) of sub-section ( I ) of Section 7 of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006.

Explanation 1. - For the purpose of this clause, "enterprise" means an industrial undertaking or a business concern or any other establishment, by whatever name called, engaged in the manufacture or production of goods, in any manner, pertaining to any industry specified in the First Schedule to the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951 (65 of 1951) or engaged in providing or rendering of any service or services in such an industry.

Explanation 2. - In calculating the investment in plant and machinery, the cost of pollution control, research and development, industrial safety devices and such other things as may be specified by notification under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006 (27 of 2006); shall be excluded.

Explanation 3.- The reference rates of foreign currency of the Reserve Bank of India shall prevail.

(fb) (i) "Startup" means

(a) an entity in India recognised as a start-up by the competent authority under Startup India initiative.

(b) In case of a foreign entity, an entity fulfilling the criteria for turnover and period of incorporation/ registration as per Startup India Initiative and submitting declaration to that effect.

Explanation: In calculating the turnover, reference rates of foreign currency of Reserve Bank of India shall prevail.

(g) words and expressions used, but not defined in these rules, shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the Act.

Rule 3. Prescribed particulars

Save as otherwise provided in these rules, the particulars contained in a Form are hereby prescribed as the particulars, if any, required under the relevant provision or provisions of the Act.

Rule 4. Appropriate office

(1) The appropriate office of the patent office shall-

(i) for all the proceedings under the Act, be the head office of the patent office or the branch office, as the case may be, within whose territorial limits--

(a) the applicant or first mentioned applicant in case of joint applicants for a patent, normally resides or has his domicile or has a place of business or the place from where the invention actually originated; or

(b) the applicant for a patent or party in a proceeding if he has no place of business or domicile in India, the address for service in India given by such applicant or party is situated; and

(2) The appropriate office once decided in respect of any proceedings under the Act shall not ordinarily be changed.

(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (2), the Controller may transfer an application for patent so filed, to head office or, as the case may be, branch office of the Patent Office.

(4) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (1), further application referred to in section 16 of the Act, shall be filed at the appropriate office of the first mentioned application only.

(5) All further applications referred to section 16 of the Act filed in an office other than the appropriate office of the first mentioned application, before the commencement of the Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2013, shall.be transferred to the appropriate office of the first mentioned application.

Rule 5. Address for service

Every person, concerned in any proceedings to which the Act or these rules relate and every patentee, shall furnish to the Controller an address for service, including a postal address in India and an e-mail address, and such address for service shall be treated for all purposes connected with such proceedings or patent as the address of the person concerned in the proceedings or of the patentee. Unless such an address for service is given, the Controller shall be under no obligation either to proceed or deal with any proceeding, or patent or to send any notice that may be required to be given under the Act or these rules and the Controller may take suo-motu decision in the matter: Provided that a patent agent shall also be required to furnish to the Controller a mobile number registered in India.

Rule 6. Leaving and serving documents

(1) Any application, notice or other document authorised or required to be filed, left, made or given at the patent office, or to the Controller or to any other person under the Act or these rules, may be tendered by hand or sent by a letter addressed to the Controller at the appropriate office or to that person through post or registered post or speed post or by electronic transmission duly authenticated. If it is sent by post or registered post or speed post or by electronic transmission duly authenticated, it shall be deemed to have been filed, left, made or given at the time when the mail containing the same would have been delivered in the ordinary course of post or registered post or speed post, or by electronic transmission duly authenticated, as the case may be. In proving such sending, it shall be sufficient to show that the mail was properly addressed and transmitted.

(1A) 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.

(2) Any written communication addressed to a patentee at his postal address or e-mail address, as it appears on the register of patents or at his address for service given under rule 5, or to any applicant or opponent in any proceedings under the Act or these rules, at the postal address or e-mail address, appearing on the application or notice of opposition, or given for service, shall be deemed to be properly addressed.

(3) All notices and all written communications addressed to a patentee, or to any applicant or opponent in any proceedings under the Act or these rules, and all documents forwarded to the patentee or to the said applicant or opponent, shall, except when they are sent by special messenger, be sent by registered post or speed post or by electronic transmission duly authenticated.

(4) The date of a notice or a written communication addressed to a patentee or to any applicant or opponent in any proceedings under the Act and these rules shall be the date of dispatch of the said notice or written communication, by registered post or speed post or fax or electronic transmission duly authenticated, as the case may be, unless otherwise specified under the Act or these rules.

(5) In case of delay in receipt of a document or a communication sent by the patent office to a party to any proceedings under the Act or these rules, the delay in transmitting or resubmitting a document to the patent office or doing any act by the party may be condoned by the Controller if a petition for such condonation of delay is made by the party to the Controller immediately after the receipt of the document or a communication along with a statement regarding the circumstances of the fact and evidence in support of the statement:

Provided that the delay condoned by the Controller shall not exceed the period between the date on which the party was supposed to have received the document or communication by ordinary course of mail or electronic transmission and the actual date of receipt of the same.

(6) Without prejudice to sub-rule (5) and notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (2) of rule 138, the Controller may condone the delay in transmitting or resubmitting a document to the patent office or performing any act by a party, if a petition for such condonation of delay is made by the party to the Controller along with a statement regarding the circumstances of the fact and evidence in support of the statement, to the satisfaction of the Controller, that the delay was due to war, revolution, civil disorder, strike, natural calamity, a general unavailability of electronic communication services or other like reason in the locality where the party resides or has place of business, and that such situation was of such severity that it disrupted the normal communication in that area and that the relevant action was taken as soon as reasonably possible not later than one month from the date when such situation had ceased to exist: Provided that the delay condoned by the Controller shall not exceed the period for which the national emergency was in force, or six months from the expiry of the prescribed period, whichever is earlier.

(7) Any liability or burden of proof regarding the authenticity of any document filed, left, made or given under these rules, including electronically transmitted documents, shall lie only with the party filing, leaving, making or giving the document.

Rule 7. Fees

(1) The fees payable under section 142 in respect of the grant of patents and applications therefor, and in respect of other matters for which fees are required to be payable under the Act shall be as specified in the First Schedule.

Provided that ten per cent additional fee shall be payable when the applications for patent and other documents are filed through physical mode, namely, in hard copy format: Provided further that in the case of a small entity, or Startup, or educational institution, every document for which a fee has been specified shall be accompanied by Form-28.

(2) Sub Rule

(a) The fees payable under the Act or these rules may be paid at the appropriate office either in cash or through electronic means or may be sent by bank draft or banker's cheque payable to the Controller of Patents and drawn on a scheduled bank at the place where the appropriate office is situated and if the draft or banker's cheque is sent by post, the fees shall be deemed to have been paid on the date on which the draft or banker's cheque has actually reached the Controller.

(b) omitted

(c) Where a fee is payable in respect of a document, the entire fee shall accompany the document.

(3) In case an application processed by a natural person, startup, small entity or educational institution is fully or partly transferred to a person other than a natural person, startup, small entity or educational institution, the difference, if any, in the scale of fees between the fees charged from the natural person, startup, small entity or educational institution and the fees chargeable from the person other than a natural person, startup, small entity or educational institution, shall be paid by the new applicant along with the request for transfer.

Explanation - 

Where a startup or small entity, having filed an application for a patent, ceases to be a startup or small entity due to the lapse of the period during which it is recognized by the competent authority, or its turnover subsequently crosses the financial threshold limit as notified by the competent authority, no such difference in the scale of fees shall be payable.

(3A) shall be omitted;

(3B) shall be omitted;

(4) Fees once paid in respect of any proceeding shall not ordinarily be refunded irrespective of whether the proceeding has taken place or not: Provided that, if the Controller is satisfied that during the online filing process, the fee was paid more than once for the same proceeding, the excess fee shall be refunded.

(4A) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (4), upon the withdrawal of an application in respect of which a request for examination has been filed, but before issuance of first statement of objection, the fee may be refunded to the extent prescribed in the First Schedule on a request made by the applicant in Form 29.

(5) Sub Rule

(i) Subject to the approval of the Controller, any person may deposit money in advance and request the Controller to realise any fee payable by him from the said deposit and in such case the date of the receipt of the request to realise the fee or the date on which the request to realise the fee is deemed to have been received, whichever is earlier, shall be taken as the date of payment of the fee:

Provided that the requisite amount of money is available at the credit of the person making such request.

(ii) Subject to the approval of the Controller, any person may discontinue the deposit of money in advance and in such case the balance, if any, shall be refunded.

Rule 8. Forms

(1) The Forms set forth in the Second Schedule with such variations as the circumstances of each case may require shall be used for the purposes mentioned therein.

(2) Where no Form is so specified for any purpose, the applicant may use Form 30 specified in the Second Schedule.

Rule 9. Filing of documents and copies, etc.

(1) All documents and copies of the documents, except affidavits and drawings, filed with patent office, shall -

(a) be typewritten or printed in Hindi or English (unless otherwise directed or allowed by the Controller) in large and legible characters not less than 0.28 centimetre high with deep indelible ink with lines widely spaced not less than one and half spaced only upon one side of the paper;

(b) be on such paper which is flexible, strong, white, smooth, non-shiny, and durable of size A4 of approximately 29.7 centimetre by 21centimetre with a margin of at least 4 centimetre on the top and left hand part and 3 centimetre on the bottom and right hand part thereof;

(c) be numbered in consecutive Arabic numerals in the centre of the bottom of the sheet; and

(d) contain the numbering to every fifth line of each page of the description and each page of the claims at right half of the left margin.

(2) Any signature which is not legible or which is written in a script other than English or Hindi shall be accompanied by a transcription of the name either in Hindi or English in capital letters.

(3) In case, the application for patent discloses sequence listing of nucleotides or amino acid sequences, the sequence listing of nucleotides or amino acid sequences shall be filed in computer readable text format along with the application, and no print form of the sequence listing of nucleotides or amino acid sequences is required to be given.

(4) Additional copies of all documents shall be filed at the appropriate office as may be required by the Controller.

(5) Names and addresses of applicant and other persons shall be given in full together with their nationality and such other particulars, if any, as are necessary for their identification.