A patent application is a multi-stage process involving the electronic filing of an application, processing, screening and classification, publication, examination, hearing if required, pre-grant opposition and grant/refusal. 

Indian Patent Office grants a patent for 20 years subject to payment of renewal fees as patents are to be annually renewed. Indian Patent Office handles cases related not only to patent applications but also renewals, patent infringement and other related litigations. 

Indian Patent Office also processes foreign patent applications along with local ones. India Patent Office grants patent so that any invention can be freely commercialised or utilised without any fear of infringement. 

All changes affecting patent right should always be recorded in the Indian Patent Office.

The Indian Patent Office grants patents which are governed by the Indian Patents Act, 1970. The Act was amended in 2000s bringing a major change of complying it with the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). 

India’s patent law also prevents evergreening, a strategy used by pharma companies to tweak their patented product or process to attain new patents to gain a monopoly. To address this issue the Patent Act 1970 was amended by the Indian Parliament introducing Saection3(d) by way of 20005 Amendment to the Act. By introducing a law in 2015 IPR cases are now resolved faster in India as it has brought them under the ambit of commercial courts.

A patent can be applied for in multiple countries for the same technology by the inventors on the basis of its commercial potential. By filing a Patent Cooperation Treaty application one can secure patent and get simultaneous protection in over 150 countries. It gives inventors 30 months to file for in countries of their choice.

The quality of patent and its commercial potential are also as important as the patent itself. For any patent to be successful two things are required which are mainly research and funding. For India to become more inventive and the Indian companies to have successful commercialised utilisation of its innovations, they should focus primarily on generating more patents and also to invest more on research and development (R&D).