1. Patent act
1970
And
amendments
2005

2. Patent
A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state (national government) to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for a public disclosure of an invention.
The term patent usually refers to a right granted to anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof

3. Patent law
Patent law is a specific area of law that encompasses the legal regulation, jurisprudence, and enforcement of specific intellectual property rights known as patent rights.
A patent law is a government issued right granted to individuals or groups that protects their original inventions from being made, used, or sold by others without their permission for a set period of time.

4. Etymology
The word patent originates from the Latin patere, which means "to lay open" (i.e., to make available for public inspection).

5. History
In 500 BC, in the Greek city of Sybaris was held out to all who should discover any new refinement in luxury, the profits arising from which were secured to the inventor by patent for the space of a year.
Patents in the modern sense originated in 1474, when the Republic of Venice enacted a decree that new and inventive devices, once put into practice, had to be communicated to the Republic to obtain the right to prevent others from using them.

6. History
In the United States several states adopted patent systems of their own. The first Congress adopted a Patent Act, in 1790, and the first patent was issued under this Act on July 31, 1790.

7. First Patent Law of India
The Act VI of 1856 on Protection of Inventions in India enacted on 28 February 1856
Based on the British Patent Law of 1852
Objectives:
encouragement of inventions of new and useful manufacture.
To secure the knowledge of the invention from being lost, and … to enable any person … to avail himself of the invention on expiry of the exclusive privilege
14 year period.

8. THE INVENTIONS & DESIGNS ACT 1888
Act V of 1888 replaced Act XV of 1859 and its amendments
Reasons
Patent applications: 33 applications under the 1856 Act and under the 1859 Act; of which 234 were from Indians
No design application
Changes
Cheap and graduated fee to correspond with increasing value as the invention becomes popular
Compulsory licences
Provisions for protection of “New or Original Designs.”

9. THE INDIAN PATENTS & DESIGNS ACT , 1911
Act II of 1911
Incorporated provisions of 1907 Act of United Kingdom
Substituted the expression ‘exclusive privileges' with ‘patent’
Made duration of Indian patent independent of duration of UK patent
Established Patent Office under a Controller of Patents and Designs.

10. 1970 Act No product patent for chemicals, food and medicine
No patents for agriculture and horticulture products
Compulsory licences
Patents to be worked in India.

11. Patents Enquiry Committee 1948-1950
Invention’ to include processes
No product patent for chemicals, food, medicine except when made by the invented process
‘Novelty’ to be based on prior knowledge or prior user in India
‘Inventive step’ to be an essential prerequisite
‘Usefulness’ to be judged on technical advancement also

12. Towards Patents Law 1970
Based on the Ayyangar Committee recommendations, a Patents Bill introduced on 21 September 1965
Referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on 25 November1965
Amended Bill introduced in November 1966
Lok Sabha passed, but lapsed in Rajya Sabha
Revised Bill introduced in 1967
Passed in 1970.

13. Patent Applications in India 1970-2001

14. Domestic and Foreign Patent Applications in India, 1970-1999

15. Why one should go for a getting a patent ?
To enjoy the exclusive rights over the invention.
The patent is to ensure commercial returns to the inventor for the time and money spend in generating a new product.

16. What can be patented?
In order to be patentable , an invention must pass four tests;
1. The invention must fall into one of the five “statutory classes’: Processes, Machines Manufactures Compositions of matter, and New uses of any of the above
2. The invention must be “useful”
3. The invention must be “novel”
4 The invention must be “nonobvious’

17. What can not be patented?
An invention which claims anything obvious contrary to well established natural laws.
An invention the intended use of which can be injurious to public health.
The mere discovery of a scientific principle or the formulation of an abstract theory.

18. What can not be patented?
The mere discovery of any new property of new use for a known substance or of the mere use of a known process, machine or apparatus unless such known process results in a new product or employs at least one new reactant.
A substance obtained by a mere admixture resulting only in the aggregation of the properties of the components thereof or a process for producing such substance;

19. Who can apply for a patent
A patent can be made by any person whether a citizen of India or not, claiming to be the true or first inventor of the invention or by his “assignee” or legal representative.
Application may be made alone or jointly with any other person.
A company or firm cannot be named as the true inventor. The term person includes the Government.

20. What is the term of patent?
In respect of a invention claiming process of manufacture of a substance intended to be used as food or medicine yrs from the date of sealing or 7 yrs from the date of patent whichever is shorter. In case of any other invention yrs from the date of patent.

21. How does a patent get expire?
A patent can expire in the following ways:
The patent has lived its full term.
The patentee has failed to pay the renewal fee.
The validity of the patent has been successfully challenged by an opponent by filing an opposition either with the patent office or with the courts.
As soon as the patent expires, it pass to the general public domain and now anybody can use it without the permission of the original inventor

22. What Does Patent System Do ?
It encourages RESEARCH.
Induces an inventor to disclose his inventions instead of keeping them as secret.
Provides inducement for capital investment Encouraging technological development.
It encourages establishment of new industries.

23. Why one should access the patent literature?
Before the start of the research and development project, one should scan the patent literature to stop re-inventing the wheel. or During the development phase, when stuck up with a technical problem, to find a technical solution. or Once the research is complete i.e. at the time of filing the patent application, to narrow down or broaden the claims and/or to draft the application for getting a patent.

24. National Patent offices, International Information vendors like Dialog, Orbit, Questel STN, free or charge based patent web sites on Internet. Which are the main sources for patent information?

25. Patent application
A patent application is a request pending at a patent office for the grant of a patent for the invention described and claimed by that application.

26. Type of Patent application
Standard application
Provisional applications
Continuation applications
Divisional applications

27. Three Amendments First Amendment in 1999
Introduced transitional facility to receive and hold patent applications of pharmaceutical and agricultural chemical products (mail box) till 1 January 2005 and for grant of Exclusive Marketing Rights for 5 years or till grant of patent.

28. Second Amendment Bill introduced on 20 December 1999
Referred to a JPC on 22 December 1999
Report submitted on 19 December 2001
Bill passed in 2002
Major changes
20 year patent period
Reversal of burden of roof on the infringer
Establishment of an Appellate Board
Public interest safeguards and measures for protecting Traditional Knowledge.

29. Third Amendment 2005 Based on Removed transitory provisions
Observations of JPC
Widespread consultations through country wide interactive sessions with interest groups
Extensive inter ministerial consultations
Removed transitory provisions
Introduced various flexibilities provided in the TRIPS Agreement including the Doha Round.

30. Patent Law - Salient Features
Both product and process patent provided.
Term of patent – 20 years.
Examination on request.
Both pre-grant and post-grant opposition.
Fast track mechanism for disposal of appeals.
Provision for protection of bio-diversity and traditional knowledge.
Publication of applications after 18 months with facility for early publication.

31. Safeguards in the Patent Law
Compulsory licences to ensure availability of drugs at reasonable prices
Bolar Provision for early manufacture of generics
Parallel, import to check prices.
Provision to deal with public health emergency.
Revocation of patent in public interest and also on security considerations.
Provisions to prevent grant of patents based on frivolous or trivial inventions.
Provisions to prevent misappropriation of Genetic Resources and Traditional Knowledge.

32. Patent Protection: Policy Trends
Become part of the Global Patent Regime
Meet International Obligations.
Safeguard the Rights of Patent Holders as also Protect Public Interest.
Modernise the Patent Administration.
Create Awareness regarding Patents.

33. India: Global Player
India acceded to the Paris Convention on Industrial Property on 7 December 1998.
India acceded to Patent Cooperation Treaty also on same date.
Plays active role in World Trade Organisation and World Intellectual Property Organisation
Doha Round and Public Health Concerns
Development Agenda in WIPO
Mandatory Disclosure of Source in Patent applications.

34. Modernization of Patent Administration
Four state-of-the-art integrated IP Office buildings constructed.
Rs. 153 crore project implemented.
Number of Patent Examiners increased four-fold
Patent search facilities improved.
IT enabled efficient systems established.
E-filing facility for patent applications launched on 18 July 2007.

35. …Contd.
Foundation Stone for a National Institute of Intellectual Property Management laid in Nagpur on 20 August, 2007.
Indian Patent Office recognized as an International Searching Authority (ISA) and an International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty by the World Intellectual Property Organization in early October 2007.
45,000 patent documents uploaded on Patent Office website, viz. in November 2007.

36. Impact Time lines for patent and trademark processing reduced.
Possible to obtain a patent in 8 months as against 6-8 years earlier and a trade mark in months as against 8-10 years earlier.
Backlog of over 44,000 patent applications liquidated in the last three years.

37. International Cooperation for Improving Patent Administration
Cooperation with WIPO.
EU –India Technology and Investment Development Programme.
Bilateral Agreements signed with
UK Patent Office
France
European Patent Office
USPTO
Japan Patent Office
Switzerland
Germany.

38. Main Elements of Co-operation
Human Resource Development.
Public awareness programmes.
Development of IP- profession.
Joint studies and research.
Exchange of experience in the area of protection of traditional knowledge.
Capacity building.

39. Future Milestones
Commencement of International Searching Authority (ISA) and an International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) functions.
Setting up of the National Institute of Intellectual Property Management – training, education, research and IP think tank functions.

40. Conclusion
Pre-Independent policy dictated more by developments in Britain.
Now policy formulation is a consultative process involving all stake holders and the civil society – Demand driven.
Protection of national interest is the primary concern of Patent Policy.
Local needs shape the course of choosing policy options- both domestic and international.
Patent Policy dependent on overall economic policy.
The policy has been one of balancing developmental concerns with the need for promoting innovations.

41. THANK YOU -PHARMA STREET