FAQs - PATENT
Q. What does a patent do?
A. An individual or firm obtains the intellectual property right of an invention, the patent right grants full rights over making, using, selling, or importing the products and services and also restricts others from doing so.
Q. What is a patent search?
A. It is the search of the patent database to determine if there is any other patent application similar or identical to an invention that is to be patented.
Q. What is a new invention within the meaning of the Indian Patents Act?
A. New inventions refer to any technology or pertains to a specific product or service which has not been anticipated by publication in any document or has been used in the country or elsewhere in the world before the date of filing of the application with complete specification i.e. the subject matter has not fallen in the public domain or that it doesn’t form a part of the state of the art.
Q. Who can apply for a patent?
A. A patent can be filed either by a new inventor or his assignee (alone or jointly with any other people).
Q. Can patent application also be filed electronically by an online system?
A. Yes, the Indian Patent Office has put in place an online filing system for a patent application.