Patents in India – Express and Expedite Patent Examination in India

EXPRESS AND EXPEDITE PATENT EXAMINATION IN INDIA

In India, an application for patent only goes through examination when a request for such examination is made to the Controller of Patents within a period of 48 months from the date of filing of that patent application, or from the date of priority of the first mentioned patent application, or within a span of 6 months from the date of filing of a further patent application such as a Divisional Application, whichever is later.

PCT National Phase Application in India

In case of a PCT (Patent Corporation Treaty) National phase application, an express request, along with a prescribed fee according to Rule 20(4)(ii) of the Patents Rules, 2003 (as amended), for examination can be made before the expiry of 31 months from the priority date of the said PCT national phase application. Once the express request has been made, the Controller is required to pass on that application to an examiner, and the examiner is then required to summarize and prepare an examination report within 1 month but not exceeding three months.

India’s federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry {Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion} in 2016 introduced new provisions under the Patents Rules, 2003, which permits a patent application to move out of turn for a faster prosecution. According to the new provisions the Indian Patent Office (IPO) are progressing applications out of turn for the examination if a request for expedited examination for an application along with the prescribed fees filed under Rule 24C of the Patents Rules, 2003 (as amended).

Expedited Patent Examination

However, the provision for expedited examination is only available to, startups and applicants who have designated “India” in their respective PCT applications, as an International Searching Authority (ISA) or International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA). Therefore, selecting India as ISA in a PCT application can be favorable for the Applicants to expedite grant process of corresponding PCT national phase Indian application. Under the expedited examination, the examiner is obligatory to give the First Examination Report (FER) within 1 month but not exceeding 2 months from the date of reference of the application to the Examiner for examination by the Controller, and further, the final disposal of the application is to be taken within 3 months of filing of response to the First Examination Report.

In India, patent offices initiated the expedited examination process in 2016 and, using this expedited examination process, many startups in India, including Optimus Pharma Pvt. Ltd., a Hyderabad based company, were able to get the patents granted within a record time of almost 10 months. The startup got a patent process of Apixaban, an anti-coagulant, in record time of almost 4 months under the expedited examination process. Such diminution in time will for sure help in cost efficiencies related to the management of a patent application up to their grant.

To provide the high demand of request for expedited examination of patent applications, IPO has also recently employed more than 250 patent examiners, affecting a substantial increase in the number of existing patent examiners. With this increase in the number of employed patent examiners, the period of ordinary patent examination is substantially declined to 2-3 years, which used to be almost 6-7 years and sometimes even more.

International Patent Applications filed in India under National Phase before the Indian Patent Office

A PCT international patent application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty can be filed before the Indian Patent Office before the expiry of 31 months from the priority date of the patent application. The complete patent specification should be filed along with Form 1.

In case, the language of the international patent application is in any other foreign language other than English, it has to be translated in English and the translated English copy has to be duly verified by the patent applicant or the person duly authorised by him that the contents thereof are correct and complete.

The patent translation of the international application should include the following details:

i. the patent description;
ii. the patent claims as filed;
iii. any text matter of the drawings;
iv. the patent abstract; and
v. in case the applicant has not elected India and if the claims have been amended under Article 19, then the amended claims together with any statement filed under the said Article;
vi. in case the patent applicant has elected India and any amendments to the description, the patent claims and text matter of the drawings that are annexed to the international preliminary examination report.

Advantage to Foreign Entities Filing Patents under PCT & entering India in National Phase

The patent attorney can file express patent examination request in Form 18 / Form-18A along with the fee specified in first schedule, at any time before thirty one months from the priority date.

Frequently Asked Questions by Inventors’ Worldwide

What is the Cost of filing patents in India?
What is patentable under the Indian Patent Act?
What are the different Patent filing options available?
What is the Patent filing procedure in India?
What is the Patent process time-line?
How long does it take to Get a Patent granted in India?
Are software inventions patentable in India?
What is the jurisdiction of a software patent?
Is creating a prototype necessary before filing for patents? Should I apply for patent before publishing?
Are business methods patentable in India?
How to conduct a patent search for my invention?
Is my invention already invented?
When should I apply for a patent?
Can I file for a patent outside India, without filing in India?
Why should I determine if I have freedom to operate for my technology before launching it in market?
Should I apply for a patent in my individual capacity or in my companies name?
When will my patent application be examined by the patent examiner?
Does a patent give me the right to use my invention?

Our team of advanced patent attorneys assists clients with patent searches, drafting patent applications, and patent (intellectual property) agreements, including licensing and non-disclosure agreements.

Advocate Rahul Dev is a Patent Attorney & International Business Lawyer practicing Technology, Intellectual Property & Corporate Laws. He is reachable at rd (at) patentbusinesslawyer (dot) com & @rdpatentlawyer on Twitter.

Quoted in and contributed to 50+ national & international publications (Bloomberg, FirstPost, SwissInfo, Outlook Money, Yahoo News, Times of India, Economic Times, Business Standard, Quartz, Global Legal Post, International Bar Association, LawAsia, BioSpectrum Asia, Digital News Asia, e27, Leaders Speak, Entrepreneur India, VCCircle, AutoTech).

Regularly invited to speak at international & national platforms (conferences, TV channels, seminars, corporate trainings, government workshops) on technology, patents, business strategy, legal developments, leadership & management.

Working closely with patent attorneys along with international law firms with significant experience with lawyers in Asia Pacific providing services to clients in US and Europe. Flagship services include international patent and trademark filings, patent services in India and global patent consulting services.

Global Blockchain Lawyers (www.GlobalBlockchainLawyers.com) is a digital platform to discuss legal issues, latest technology and legal developments, and applicable laws in the dynamic field of Digital Currency, Blockchain, Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency and raising capital through the sale of tokens or coins (ICO or Initial Coin Offerings).

Blockchain ecosystem in India is evolving at a rapid pace and a proactive legal approach is required by blockchain lawyers in India to understand the complex nature of applicable laws and regulations.

August 6, 2018

Patent Prosecution in India – Patent Eligibility and Patent Examination Process

patent filing in india pct national phase WIPO application

Patent Office Action

Once a patent application is filed with the patent office, patent applicants are required to submit request for early publication of patent application in addition to request for patent examination. Once a patent examination request is filed, the patent office examines the patent application in accordance with patent procedure and provides a patent examination report (patent office action) to the patent applicants.

Indian Patent Office Procedure

As per the procedure followed by the Indian Patent Office, the patent specification filed by the patent applicant includes invention details and patent claims. As it is well known, the most important aspect of the patent application are the patent claims because the patent claims define the scope of the invention.

Patent Examination in India

Generally, the patent examiner issues an office action setting forth the basis for rejecting one or more patent claims with respect to prior art / novelty patent search conducted by the patent examiner. The patent applicant responds with amendments in patent claims/ patent drawings and/or arguments, and the examiner issues a next office action, etc. This process continues until the patent application is allowed, abandoned, or appealed.

First Examination Report – FER

In accordance with applicable laws and rules, patent applicants are required to submit a detailed response the patent examination report (FER or first examination report) within 6 months of issuance of the first examination report or the office action. A general strategy that can be followed to draft office action response includes preparing submissions for each of the objections raised by the patent examiner. For example, for objections relating to novelty and inventive step (non-obviousness), one of the strategies can be to amend the patent claims by limiting the scope of originally filed claims. This can be done in consultation with a patent attorney, whereby, certain features from the dependent claims (or detailed description) can be added to the independent claims to ensure that the amended claims are novel and inventive as compared to the prior arts (patent and non-patent literature) cited by the patent examiner. Therefore, chances of overcoming such objections get better when novel aspects of the invention are combined with the independent claims.

Patentability of Invention

When a patent application is examined by the patent office, the primary goal of the patent examiner is to determine the patentability of the invention as defined by the patent claims, as described in detail by the patent description, and as illustrated by way of patent drawings. The intention is to ensure that the technology covered by the patent application is new and the subject matter of the patent description and patents claims was not disclosed in public domain before the date of filing of patent application, or before the first priority date of the patent application.

Definition of Invention

In accordance with the Indian Patents Act, 1970, definition of invention and inventive step include:

Section 2(1) (j) “invention” means a new product or process involving an inventive step and capable of industrial application;

Section 2(1) (ja) “inventive step” means a feature of an invention that involves technical advance as compared to the existing knowledge or having economic significance or both and that makes the invention not obvious to a person skilled in the art;

In essence, the inventive step of the technology to be patented should illustrate technical advancement or economic significance in the subject matter of the patent application as compared to the existing knowledge which is already known to a person skilled in the similar domain.

View of Indian Courts on Determining Inventive Step

In Biswanath Prasad Radhey Shyam vs Hindustan Metal Industries Ltd, it was held by the Indian Supreme court that “The expression” does not involve any “inventive step” and its equivalent word “obvious”, have acquired special significance in the terminology of Patent Law. The ‘obviousness’ has to be strictly and objectively judged. For this determination, several forms of the question have been suggested. Was it for Practical Purposes obvious to a skilled worker, in the field concerned, in the state of knowledge existing at the date of the patent to be found in the literature then available to him, that he would or should make the invention the subject of the claim concerned?

To determine Invention Step, the following points should be taken into consideration:

(a) Identify the “person skilled in the art”, i.e. a competent craftsman in same domain or engineer as distinguished from a mere artisan

(b) Identify the relevant common general knowledge of that person at the priority date of filing the patent application;

(c) Identify the inventive concept of the patent claim in question;

(d) Identify what, if any, differences exist between the matter cited as forming part of the “state of the art” of the technology and the inventive concept of the patent claims;

Industrial Applicability of the Invention

The invention as claimed in patent specification should meet the criteria that the invention can be made or used in some kind of industry. The word “Industry” broadly refers to having any useful and practical activity while excluding intellectual or aesthetic activity.

Under section 2(1)(ac) of Indian Patents Act, “capable of industrial application”, in relation to an invention, means that the invention is capable of being made or used in an industry.

However, patent claims relating to “Method of playing games” and “computer programming languages” are not considered to be industrially applicable. The detailed description of the patent specification must disclose a practical application and industrial use for the claimed invention wherein a concrete benefit must be derivable directly from the description coupled with common general knowledge.

Therefore, while drafting patent application, writing the advantages of the invention in the last few paragraphs will be helpful to illustrate the industrial applicability of the invention.

Sufficiency of Disclosure

While drafting a patent application, writing the detailed description of the patent application includes explaining each and every element of the patent claims. One should note that the patent examiner takes into consideration the whole patent document which is read with patent claims and drawings (if any) to determine patentability of the invention.

‘What’ is the invention and ‘How to perform it’ requirement should be taken care off before submitting the Patent Application before the Indian Patent Office. The complete specification should therefore disclose the invention completely to meet the requirement of the Patents Act and should also enable a person skilled in the art to work the invention without any assistance of the patentee or any further experimentation.

What is the Invention: If the patent application relates to apparatus/system/device in a computer related invention (hardware based inventions), each and every feature of the invention should be described with drawings. However, if the said system/device/apparatus patent claims are worded in such a way that they merely and only comprise of a memory which stores instructions to execute the previously claimed method and a processor to execute these instructions, then this set of claims claiming a system/device /apparatus may be deemed as conventional and may not fulfil the eligibility criteria of patentability.

Law Office of Rahul Dev, Patent Attorneys and Technology Corporate Lawyers, represents a law firm headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, with associate offices in New Delhi, in the proximity of the Indian Patent and Trademark Office. We are primarily focused on intellectual property law and provide patent services and patent consultation for large, multi-national corporations, universities, middle-market and emerging market companies, and startups and entrepreneurs.

Patent Prosecution in India

We handle patent prosecution in India by facilitating the interaction between inventors, patent applicants and Indian patent office, which usually includes highly complex technical and legal issues. Our team has significant experience in handling the entire patent process in India and we possess strong understanding of the relevant procedures and the potential pitfalls.

We have successfully advised our clients to obtain patent protection in India and across international jurisdictions (US, Europe, UK, Singapore, Malaysia) for a wide scale of technologies, and our patent attorneys possess years of experience in patent research, patent prior art searches, patentability analysis, patent analytics, patent application drafting, patent claim drafting, patent prosecution, , licensing, and other intellectual property-related issues.

Software Patent FAQs:

How to Patent an Idea

General Patent FAQs:

Advocate Rahul Dev is a Patent Attorney & International Business Lawyerpracticing Technology, Intellectual Property & Corporate Laws. He is reachable at rd (at) patentbusinesslawyer (dot) com & @rdpatentlawyeron Twitter

Quoted in and contributed to 50+ national & international publications(Bloomberg, FirstPost, SwissInfo, Outlook Money, Yahoo News, Times of India, Economic Times, Business Standard, Quartz, Global Legal Post, International Bar Association, LawAsia, BioSpectrum Asia, Digital News Asia, e27, Leaders Speak, Entrepreneur India, VCCircle, AutoTech)

Regularly invited to speak at international & national platforms (conferences, TV channels, seminars, corporate trainings, government workshops) on technology, patents, business strategy, legal developments, leadership & management

Working closely with patent attorneys along with international law firmswith significant experience with lawyers in Asia Pacific providing services to clients in US and Europe. Flagship services include international patent and trademark filings, patent services in India and global patent consulting services.

Law office of Rahul Dev is a niche technology and research based law firm focusing on next generation business and legal issues faced in India and outside India during international business and cross-border technology transactions. We assist our clients in close collaboration with our associates and counsels within India and outside by providing custom engagement models to address our client’s needs.

Practice areas include drafting and filing patent applications, patent prior art searches, patent prosecution, patent filing in India, PCT national phase entry in India, PCT international applications with WIPO, freedom to operate searches, patentability analysis and patent strategy to create a valuable patent portfolio.

Patent attorney Rahul Dev works with clients providing expert legal services in the field of innovative pharmaceutical products, branded drugs, generic drugs, molecular biology, immunology, cell biology, regenerative medicine including ESCs, iPSCs, pSCs, diagnostics, therapeutics, theranostics, drug delivery systems, host-vector systems, high throughput screening, bioinformatics, diagnostic imaging, ancillary services (PET, CT, MRI, ultrasound, greenlight, lithotripsy, radiation therapy, cyber-knife, nuclear camera, clinical lab, pathology, physical therapy and dispensing prescriptions).

Patent attorney and technology lawyer Rahul Dev works closely with USPTO licensed patent attorneys to assist clients with patent reexaminations, patent prosecution, drafting USPTO office action responses, patent infringement litigation, patent claim mapping and patent licensing. For international patent filings, we have an established network of global patent attorneys to provide reliable and cost effective services to our clients.

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Blockchain ecosystem in India is evolving at a rapid pace and a proactive legal approach is required by blockchain lawyers in India to understand the complex nature of applicable laws and regulations.

April 16, 2018

International Trademark Filing in India – The Madrid Protocol – Trademark Registration in India

International Trademark Filing in India – The Madrid Protocol

India adopted Madrid Protocol in 2013
The Madrid Protocol is a WIPO administered treaty to simplify the process of filing trademarks across multiple jurisdictions
Trademark applications can be filed in India under the Madrid Protocol when India is either the origin country or the designated country
If India is the origin country, the Indian Trademarks Registry (TMR) will receive the applications for international registrations of trademark
If India is the designated country, the international trademark application is filed with WIPO selecting India as the designated country

Replying to Provisional refusal in India under Madrid Protocol

International Trademarks and Brand Protection

Provisional refusal in India under Madrid Protocol Services

Provisional refusal in India under Madrid Protocol: Although, it is not possible to register a particular brand as “International Trademark”, the Madrid Protocol system provides an easy solution to the companies and individuals if the country in which they want to register their trademark has signed up the Madrid Protocol.

India signed up for Madrid Protocol With WIPO in the year 2013. Madrid System, including Madrid Agreement and Protocol relating to Madrid Agreement, is an international treaty to facilitate international registration of trademarks and management of trademark applications worldwide.

How Madrid Protocol Trademark System Works in Favour of Brand & Trademark Owners

It can be used to file and register the trademark in the home country, for example, resident of India will file trademark in India first and subsequently be able to secure wider trademark protection globally. Once the Indian trademark application is filed before the Indian Trademark Office, one can extend the trademark registration in other countries by using a single trademark application. The details of the single trademark application should include desired countries in which you want to seek trademark protection.

Overall costs for filing trademark under Madrid protocol will depend on the applicable official government fees of the designated countries in which you are applying to register your trademark brand, and the number of trademark classes.

Filing International Trademark Applications Under Madrid Protocol With WIPO – Procedure, Cost and Requirements for Indian Trademarks

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Madrid Agreement and Madrid Protocol – Governing Treaties

The treaties provide an easy and cost effective way of filing international trademarks. Once the trademarks are registered by respective designated offices, the Madrid protocol further provides simple procedures to manage international registrations.

Provisional refusal in India under Madrid Protocol: Office of Origin

The trademark office that receives application under Madrid protocol is known as office of origin.

Provisional refusal in India under Madrid Protocol: Designated Offices

The trademark applicant can designate one or more trademark offices as contracting party, which is then notified about filing of trademark application under Madrid protocol by WIPO.

Provisional refusal in India under Madrid Protocol: Madrid Protocol Application – General Procedure

Usually, once the international trademark application is filed with designation of countries with the office of origin, the contents of said application are verified by said office of origin. Once done, the application is forwarded to WIPO, which is then published by WIPO and subsequently, WIPO notifies all the designated offices. Thereafter, each designated office examines the trademark application as per respective trademark laws, rules and procedures.

Madrid Trademark Application in India

The Indian Trademark Office is authorized to receive an international trademark application under Madrid Protocol.

Madrid Trademark Application in India – Requirements

The basic criteria to file Madrid Trademark Application in India requires applicant to be eligible to file said trademark application, which essentially requires the applicant to be an Indian national or having a place of business in India. In addition, the Indian trademark office requires an existing trademark application, known as the basic application, and designation of one or more countries wherein international trademark protection is required.

Documents Required for Filing Trademarks in India

The Indian Trademark Office requires an international trademark application under Madrid Protocol to be accompanied by an application form, power of attorney, payment of handling fee, and payment of international designation fee (in Swiss Francs) payable to WIPO.

Madrid Trademark Application – Role of Office of Origin

During the process of receiving an application for international trademark registration under Madrid System, the office of origin plays an important role. After receiving the application, the office of origin verifies the contents, certifies the application and forwards it to WIPO for publication and notification to designated offices. Subsequently, the office of origin receives details of irregularities in the application, if any, and further communicates with WIPO regarding status of basic trademark application.

Responding to Provisional Refusal from the Indian Trademark Office under Madrid Protocol

The Indian Trademark Office examines every international trademark registration designating India received from the International Bureau of WIPO. An International Registration Designating India (IRDI) number is allotted by the Trade Marks Registry to every International Registration in which India has been designated. The trademark examiner examines the Brand trademark on the ground of non-distinctiveness and similarities to registered trademarks and pending trademarks before the Indian Trademark Registry.

While examining the trademark application, if there is any objection for protection of such trademark registration in India, a provisional refusal is notified to the International Bureau of WIPO within 18 months from the date the international registration was notified to India.

General objections raised by Trademark Registry in India | Trademark Objections under Provisional Refusal In India

9(1){a) under Indian Trademark Law- The objection is raised under S 9(1) (a) of the Trade Marks Act 1999, as the mark is non-distinctive and as such it is not capable of distinguishing the services of one person from those of others.,
11(1) under Indian Trademark Law – The objection is raised under S 11 (1) of the Trade Marks Act, 1999, as the mark is identical with or similar to earlier marks in respect of identical or similar description of services and because of such identity or similarity there exists a likelihood of confusion on the part of the public.

The provisional refusal includes an Examination Report containing objections. The International Bureau records the provisional refusal in the international register and provides the details of such provisional refusal to the trademark applicant of the international registration.

The provisional refusal is recorded in the International Register, together with an indication of the date on which the notification was sent. The provisional refusal is also published in the WIPO Gazette, with an indication as to whether the refusal is total (i.e. relates to all the goods and services covered by the designation) or partial (i.e., relates to only some of those goods and and services covered)

Responding to Provisional Refusal Issued by the Indian Trademark Office under the Madrid Protocol

The trademark applicant can respond to the provisional refusal by engaging a trademark agent or an Indian trademark attorney having address in India by executing a Power of Attorney in the favour of the agent/attorney.

Follow the Deadline Dates | Trademark Response Deadline to Respond to the Objections:

The normal deadline to respond to trademark objections raised by the Indian Trademark Office is 1 month from the date of receipt of the provisional refusal notification by the trademark applicant. Technically, once the trademark applicant receives the provisional refusal notification from the International Bureau of WIPO the last date to respond to provisional refusal can be calculated.

Note: If you have opted to receive notifications from the International Bureau of WIPO by paper mail, it is advisable to retain the postal receipt. So, if there is a delay by the post the date of receipt of the provisional refusal from WIPO, the postal receipt will act as documentary evidence.

What to do if you miss the deadline / extension of timeline to respond to trademark objections raised by the Indian Trademark Office?

The Indian trademark attorney can file an application for extension of time and the same is at the discretion of the trademark office. The Trade Marks Registry (TMR) office of India then considers the response of the trademark applicant of the international registration and may either confirm the refusal or move for advertisement of the international registration in the Trade Marks Journal.

Amending detailed description of different trademark goods/services:

Any amendments in goods/services in respect of the Indian trademark application needs to be made only at the International Bureau of WIPO and the same needs to be notified to the Indian Trademark Office by the International Bureau of WIPO.

Relevant legal provisions in Indian Trademark Law for International Trademark Applications Filed under Madrid Protocol

Section 36E (2) of the Trade Marks Act 1999
Rule 67H of the Trade Marks Rules 2002
Articles 4 & 5 of the Madrid Protocol
Rules 17, 18 & 18ter of the Common Regulations

A new interpretation/definition clause has been inserted in accordance with the Madrid Protocol in Indian Trademark Law (S.36B read with Rule 67A).

Applicant or registered proprietor of trademark under section 18 or under section 23 (‘basic application’ or ‘basic registration’) of the Act may make an international application in Form MM2 (E) along with prescribed fees in Swiss francs.

The Registrar shall certify & forward it to the International Bureau within two months from the date of receipt of the said application & for this, a fee of INR 2000 is payable to the Registrar towards handling charges (S. 36D read with Rule 67E & 67F).

A separate record for international registration where India has been designated shall be kept by the Registrar called the ‘Record of Particulars of International Registration (S. 36E read with Rule 67G).

For a period of five years from the date of an international registration, if the initial basic national application/registration ceases to have effect, through a withdrawal, refusal, cancellation following a decision of the Office of origin, or Court, or voluntary cancellation, or non-renewal, the international registration will no longer be protected. After the expiry of a period of five years from the date of international registration, the registration becomes independent of the basic registration or basic application (S.36D & S.36E).
Provided that, where an appeal is made against the decision of registration nd an action requesting withdrawal of application or an opposition to the application has been initiated before the expiry of the period of five years of an international registration, any final decision resulting in withdrawal, cancellation, expiration or refusal shall be deemed to have taken place before the expiry of five years of the international registration. (Provision of Sub-section 5 of Section 36D).
The Registrar shall examine the application within 2 months where India has been designated. If grounds for objection are found during the examination by the Registrar, or if an opposition is filed, the Registrar can declare a provisional refusal (within 18 months of receipt of the application’s notification from the International Bureau for India) for protection of the mark in that member country (S.36E read with Rule 67H).

The international registration of a trade mark at the International Bureau shall be for a period of ten years and may be renewed for a period of ten years from the expiry of the preceding period and subject to payment of a surcharge prescribed by the rules, a grace period of six months shall be allowed for renewal of the international registration (s. 36G).

Advocate Rahul Dev is a Patent Attorney & International Business Lawyerpracticing Technology, Intellectual Property & Corporate Laws. He is reachable at rd (at) patentbusinesslawyer (dot) com & @rdpatentlawyer on Twitter

Quoted in and contributed to 50+ national & international publications(Bloomberg, FirstPost, SwissInfo, Outlook Money, Yahoo News, Times of India, Economic Times, Business Standard, Quartz, Global Legal Post, International Bar Association, LawAsia, BioSpectrum Asia, Digital News Asia, e27, Leaders Speak, Entrepreneur India, VCCircle, AutoTech)

We represent our clients as leading patent lawyer in Gurgaon and patent attorney in Gurgaon for providing various patent services in India.

March 23, 2018August 9, 2019

How to Get a Patent in India for Software, Mobile Applications and Computer Related Inventions – IoT (Internet of Things) Patent Landscape

Software Patent in India

Software and Mobile App Patents are routinely granted by the Indian Patent Office and recently, following patents were granted:

(a) Google LLC filed patent application 3023/KOLP/2014 that is titled LOCATION HISTORY FILTERING. The invention is about filtering location information received from multiple computing devices . During patent examination, the patent examiner raised objections under Section 3(k) of the Indian Patents Act, wherein the examiner stated that the claims 1-14 define computer instructions stored in a memory and executable by a processor, hence these claims fall within the scope of Section 3(k) of the Indian Patent Act.

As a response to said objection, the applicant responded by proving that the claims are not related to computer programs but a computing device, enhancing its technical effect through its constructional features.

(b) ORACLE INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION filed patent application 231/KOLNP/2010 that is titled A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PREPARING COMPENDED BLOGS. During patent examination, the patent examiner raised objections under Section 3(k) of the Indian Patents Act, wherein the examiner stated that the claims 1-10 were computer programme per se and were thus non patentable.

As a response to said objection, the applicant responded by submitting Computer programs ‘per se’ are not non patentable as per the CRI guidelines. Since present claims provide a technical solution to a technical problem of collecting and collating information into a single blog, it qualifies to be patented.

Mobile App Patent in India

We are experiencing a paradigm shift in technology from the use of Software to Mobile Apps (Applications) to integration with Cloud Computing, which has resulted in the emerging field of IoT, or Internet of Things.

Here are 5 steps to draft patent claims and write patent applications for inventions and technologies belonging to the field of Software, Mobile Apps, Cloud Computing or Internet of Things (IoT):

Thoroughly understand the innovation as a problem-solution approach
Prepare flow diagrams (flowcharts) to cover all aspects of the processes disclosed by the innovation
Prepare system architecture (block diagrams) illustrating all hardware elements connected via network
Ensure proper sync between the flowcharts and block diagrams
Draft patent claims (system or apparatus) covering all elements of block diagrams along with process (method) claims

Software Patent Application Drafting Guidelines

Writing Software Patent Application

Writing Software Patent Application is an art. An experienced patent attorney or patent agent can draft software patent claims that may have broader scope of the invention. However, the purpose of this post is to provide inventors with a general idea how to draft a patent application for a software patent invention.

First and foremost, every software patent specification must be tailored for a particular invention solving one problem in the prior art domain. There is no “one single patent formula to be followed” to write a perfect software patent application. The most important aspect of software patent writing which should be kept in mind while writing the software patent application is the patent claims, which define the legal rights of the patent owner.

It is always advisable to get professional help for writing the software invention and prosecuting the patent application before the patent office. The software inventor should provide flowcharts and/or flow diagrams of different embodiments of the software based intelligent algorithm to the patent attorney.

Software Patentability / Prior Art Patent Search

Conduct a patentability search of the prior art available in the public domain is advisable before filing the software patent application. The software patent strategy includes the steps of reviewing non-patent literature documents like journal, newspaper articles, magazine articles, books, conference materials, brochures, and research reports.

The online patent database (collection of granted patents and pending published patent applications available in public domain by the patent office) of USPTO, WIPO, EPO and the like should be searched to determine novelty of your software innovation. This can be done either by looking for keywords in the abstract text, specification, patent title, patent claims and by the International patent classification numbers, USPC and CPC assigned to each patent by the patent examiner.

Patentability Search Results / Patentability Opinion

The patentability search results of the invention will provide detailed insight to the inventor about how broadly one can claim the invention. Moreover, the patent language used by other patent attorneys to claim a similar invention provides a rough roadmap to describe your own software innovation.

Advantage of Patentability Search

The main advantage of patentability search from the viewpoint of developing a strong patent claim strategy is that the identified close prior art patent claims should be avoided. Particularly, the patent claims should be written in a manner to avoid the prior art.

Software Patents in India – Laws, Cases, Granted Patent Examples – Copyright Protection

How to get Software Patents in India

Grant of Software Patents in India is possible. Patents filed for innovations relating to computer programs, software and mobile applications protect the novel and inventive features of such innovations from being copied by the competitors. Software Patents in India is granted for an embedded software in a mobile application, and/or software plus hardware combination. However, patent law in India does not allow patent protection for software per se, whereby patenting a computer program is prohibited. This provision is stated in Section 3 of the Indian Patents Act, which related to Non-Patentable Inventions.

Why are Software Patents not available in India?

When the set of patent claims are written for web based software just stating various method steps and without disclosing what apparatus and/or structural component are carried out by the said steps in that case the invention falls within scope of clause (m) of section (3) of the Patents Act, 1970 (as amended).

There should be structural limitations to the patent claims otherwise the subject matter of these claims is mere scheme and/or mental act and hence falls within scope of clause (m) of section (3) of the Patents Act, 1970 (as amended). Therefore web software invention claimed in said claims is not patentable.

When the patent claims do not define any structural features of the claimed product rather they define computer instructions and logic in that case the instructions and/or logics are nothing but computer program per se. Hence subject matter of said claims falls within scope of clause (k) of section (3) of the Patents Act, 1970 (as amended). Therefore web software invention claimed in said claims is not patentable.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Software Patents in India

Are software inventions patentable in India?

Yes, innovations in the field of software and mobile applications can be patented in India. The Indian patent office defines software inventions under the category of Computer Related Inventions, one or more features of which are embodied wholly or partially by means of a computer program(s). Such inventions have been described in the guidelines published by the patent office for examination of computer related inventions, or CRIs.

Generally, patent applications covering subject matter related to software inventions have been divided into different categories by the patent office, including, (i) Method / Process, (ii) Apparatus / System, (iii) Computer readable medium, and, (iv) Computer Program Product.

In case of patent claims claiming a method or a process, the patent office excludes business methods, mathematical formulae, algorithms, and computer programs per se. Specifically, if method claims or process claims relate to computer related innovations having novel and inventive aspects, such method claims are patentable in accordance with Indian patent laws.

In case of patent claims claiming an apparatus or a system, the patent office has stated that patents can be granted to computer related inventions wherein novelty, inventive step, and industrial applicability is found by way of hardware combined with software applications. In use, such claims may be patented in “means plus function” format.

While drafting software patents and writing patent claims, use of means-plus-function claim is common. Specifically, while drafting patent claims, means-plus-function claims can be used to express technical and functional terms of the invention to describe multiple aspects of the invention.

In case of patent claims claiming Computer readable medium, or, Computer Program Products, the Indian patent office categorizes such patent claims as computer programs per se, and hence such claims may not be patented in accordance with Indian patent laws.

Software Patents Granted in India

Patent applications claiming computer related innovations, software and mobile applications can be patented in India if patent claims are drafted to protect the innovative aspects of such inventions. Specifically, the innovative aspects can include inventive process / methods along with inventive apparatus / system (hardware components).

Some examples of software patents granted in India are listed below:

Software Patents Examples

Indian patent application number 3803/CHENP/2008 titled “DISAGGREGATED SECURE EXECUTION ENVIRONMENT” has been granted by the Indian patent office on 19th Sept., 2016. This patent claims priority from US patent US11/353,675 with PCT International Application Number as PCT/US2007/002322. The subject matter of this patent relates to, an electronic device, such as, a computer, which may be adapted for self-monitoring for compliance to an operating policy. The operating policy may specify a pay-per-use or subscription business model and measurements associated with compliant usage. A secure execution environment may measure usage in accordance with the business model as well as monitor and enforce compliance to the operating policy To increase the difficulty of attacking or otherwise disabling the secure execution environment, elements of the secure execution environment may be distributed. The distribution points may include other functional elements of the computer, such as interface circuits, or may even be remotely located over a network. An implementation method for disaggregating the secure execution environment is also disclosed.
Indian patent application number 5992/DELNP/2005 titled “A SYSTEM FACILITATING A COMPUTER OBJECT ACCESS CONTROL” has been granted as Indian patent number 247539 on 18th April, 2011 by the Indian patent office. This patent claims priority from US patent US10/609,104 having PCT International Application number as PCT/US2004/019987. The subject matter of this patent relates to a system facilitating a computer object access control for controlling access to the computer objects, comprising: a computer display screen, a graphical user interface (100), a name field (102) indicating a name for the computer object; and one or more access control fields (110) rendered together and indicating plural selectable computer spaces (112C-112E) for the computer object, at least one of the computer spaces corresponding to a computer location and at least one of the computer spaces (112A, 112B, 112F) corresponding to access to the computer object for one or more computer users.

How To Apply For Software Patents in India

In light of the Indian patent laws and guidelines published by the Indian patent office for examination of software patents / computer related inventions (CRIs), software patents can be applied in India by way of combination of hardware and software features, which are novel, inventive and possess industrial applications.

More specifically, the software patent applications filed in India shall claim innovative methods including all the steps of flow diagram of the software applications along with novel hardware (apparatus / system claims) claims including elements of the system architecture embodying the corresponding methods / processes.

Software Patent Cases In India

Among multiple patent cases in India, few can be put in the category of software patent cases in India, wherein issues pertaining to software patenting in India have been discussed. Some of the important software patent cases are discussed herein below.

1. Electronic Navigation Research Institute Vs Controller General of Patents

IPAB, OA/26/2009/PT/DEL, 5^th July, 2013

In this case relating to patent application no. 3624/DELNP/2005 for the invention titled “A CHAOS THEROETICAL EXPONENT VALUE CALCULATION SYSTEM”, the Indian patent office denied the patent on the grounds that said invention falls under the category of mathematical formulae even if it produces a technical effect. The invention in this case claimed a mathematical method for evaluating time series signals.

2. Yahoo v Controller of Patents & Rediffcom India Limited

IPAB, OA/22/2010/PT/CH, 8^th December 2011

Section 3(k) of the Indian Patents Act was discussed in this case before the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB), wherein it the concerned patent application was held non-patentable as being the business method embodied via technology. The order passed by the IPAB in instant case stated that where technical advances are only a manifestation of a core business method, such advances shall not accord any advantage to the patentee in the allowance of the patent. In simple words, business methods disguised as technical subject matter without any innovative aspects cannot be patented in India.

In the case of Yahoo, the patent claims included features of a software tool targeting search terms relevant to Yahoo’s business. Accordingly, the IPAB concluded that the technical advance proposed by Yahoo was simply a method of doing business, even if it was a technically smarter way of doing business and, therefore, cannot be patented in accordance with provisions of Section 3(k) of the patents act.

3. ACCENTURE GLOBAL SERVICE GMBH Vs. THE ASSISTANT CONTROLLER OF PATENTS & DESIGNS

IPAB, OA/22/2009/PT/DEL, 28^th December, 2012

This case relates to Indian patent application number 1398/DELNP/2003, which is now a granted patent as patent number 256171, whose present legal status at the patent office database is, “Inforce with Due date of next renewal as 21/02/2017”. This patent application was initially refused for patent registration by patent office under the provisions of Section 3(k) of the Indian patents act.

However, the patent applicant appealed before the IPAB and as per the Controller’s decision, it was held that the instant invention as claimed is not software per se but, a system is claimed which is having the improvement in web services and software. Accordingly, it was held that the invention since not falling in the category of section 3(K), viz software per se, corresponding objection was waived and the patent was granted.

Software Copyright In India

What is meant by software copyright?

In addition to software patents, copyright protection can also be used to protect the Intellectual Property Rights associated with the software. Essentially, copyright for software is employed by software companies to reduce and prevent unauthorized copying of the software, which is also referred to as software piracy or software infringement. In case of software offered under free and open source licenses, software owners depend upon the copyright law to enforce their legal rights.

Overview of Indian Copyright Laws for Software Protection

In accordance with Indian copyright laws, computer software can be protected as literary works, wherein a “computer program” is defined as a set of statements or instructions to be used directly or indirectly in a computer in order to bring about a certain result.

Software Copyright In India

Effectively, copyright protection for computer programs prohibits unauthorised copying and infringement of the computer program, including the structure and the design of the computer program.

In addition to the source code, additional aspects of the computer program and the software can be protected by filing appropriate copyrights for the graphics, sounds, and appearance of a computer program. Consequently, by filing multiple copyright applications to protect different aspects of the software / computer program, legal proceedings for intellectual property infringement can be initiated and IP rights can be enforced even if the source code of the software is not copied by the offending party / infringer.

In addition, it is also advisable to protect future modifications and improvements of the software and the computer program by way of multiple copyrights and patent applications, which can provide strong protection of various technical features and different aspects of the software.

End User License Agreement – EULA

An EULA is a legal contract between the author or publisher of a software program / mobile application and the user of such application. The EULA is crucial document relating to intellectual property rights associated with the software and the computer program and it is generally executed digitally wherein the users are required to click-through and accept the terms of the software license agreement. Various provisions of the license agreement are drafted to ensure the source code and other aspects of the software / computer program are not copied and / or reverse engineered by the users illegally, which may amount to intellectual property rights infringement of the author / publisher / owner of the software program.

Drafting End User License Agreement – EULA

Generally, a software license agreement is termed as EULA or End User License Agreement. EULA is aimed at defining the relationship between the software company and its customers or clients that primarily govern the rights and usage associated with the software purchased by the clients from the software development company.

Types of Software License Agreements

Various types of software license agreements include:

Singe User Software License Agreement
Multi User Software License Agreement
Local Reseller Software License Agreement
International Reseller Software License Agreement
Enterprise Software License Agreement
Non-profit Software License Agreement
Privacy Policy for Data Protection

EULA Clauses

Content of EULA includes important legal provisions, such as, for example, but not limited to:

General Information of Parties
Software License Details – Term, Duration, Date etc.
Price of Software License
Ownership of Software Code
Intellectual Property Rights and Copyright Ownership
Prevention of Software Abuse
Prevention of Copying, Modification, Redistribution and Reselling of Software
Definition of Software License, which may not amount to selling of software ownership
Legal Disclaimers and Warranties
Limitation of Liability
Right to Terminate Software License
Exclusive or Non-Exclusive Software License
Non transferable license
Breach of terms and termination provision
Governing Laws and Jurisdictions
Technical and Customer Support
Software Restriction Clauses
Contact Information

Assignment of Software Copyright

In accordance with Indian laws and the Delhi High Court judgement in the case of Pine Labs Private Limited vs Gemalto Terminals India Private Limited, the author of the source code owns the original copyright of the software program and the same is required to be assigned to the owner / publisher of the software by way of Software (Intellectual Property) Assignment Contract. Furthermore, while drafting software assignment contracts, the term of assignment and jurisdiction should be clearly specified to ensure perpetual ownership of the software worldwide.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Software Copyright in India

Whether computer Software or Computer Programme can be registered under copyright law?

As specified by the Indian Copyright Office, copyrights pertaining to software and computer program can be registered by way of one or more copyright applications to protect corresponding intellectual property rights (IPRs). In accordance with the Indian Copyright laws, Computer Software or programme can be registered as a ‘literary work’. As per Section 2 (o) of the Copyright Act, 1957 “literary work” includes computer programmes, tables and compilations, including computer databases. ‘Source Code’ has also to be supplied along with the application for registration of copyright for software products.

How do you get a copyright for software?

The first step to obtain copyright protection for a software / computer program is to determine if the subject matter of said software / computer program is eligible for copyright protection. An experienced copyright attorney or intellectual property law firm can assist in determining whether one or more aspects of the computer program / software are protectable by a copyright. As per copyright laws across multiple jurisdictions, a copyright protects “original works of authorship” that are in a tangible form or expression.

Manual of Patent Office Practice and Procedure of Software Patents in India

The Indian patent office has published a manual of patent office practice and procedure, which explains the functioning of the patent office by describing multiple steps of the patent registration process in India, including, patent application filing, patent prosecution, patent examination, issuance of patent examination report, patent hearings, patent grant, issuance of patent certificate, pre-grant patent opposition, post-grant patent opposition, and renewal of granted patents in India.

Software Patent in India – Indian Patent Office Manual

After going through the patent office manual, it can be concluded that although Indian patent laws excludes business methods, mathematical formulae and computer programs per se from patent protection, software patents can be granted in India for innovations that are able to stand the test of patentability.

Writing a Provisional Software Patent Specification to be filed before USPTO

Writing Software Patent Application

Essentially, a provisional patent application based for software innovation includes:

Title of the invention
A short abstract (150 words maximum)
Background of the invention and related Prior arts
Detailed description/Specification describing how to make and use the invention. Flowcharts and/ flow diagram to execute the software algorithm
Patent Claims not required for a provisional patent specification

Tips For Writing Non-Provisional Software Patent Application

Step 1: Prepare rough flow diagram illustrating main steps of executing the algorithm.

Step 2: Prepare detailed flowcharts illustrating detailed steps along with determination steps as to what will happen if a particular transition step takes place.

Step 3: Software based block diagrams can be prepared to show more details for particular steps.

Once, the above mentioned diagram are handy write the patent application detailed description section describing what is done at each step of the algorithm and how to do it. As required under Section 112 of US Patent Laws, describe both the best way to perform the best mode or preferred embodiment of the invention and all the possible other embodiments that you can think of to execute the software based codes to solve the problem.

Mobile Application Patent Drafting

Guide to Software Patenting

Strong patent claim drafting skills can make the difference for a grant of software patent application by the patent examiner. However, writing a patent specification for information technology domain, software business app or mobile applications, cloud computing or IoT (Internet of Things), and subsequently drafting the required patent claims are highly technical in nature.

As a patent drafter, the real skill is to write about all the different sections of a patent application in detail and at the same time it has to be precise, as these have to be in accordance with proper formats specified by the respective patent office. Specifically, writing patent claims is most important part of patent drafting process.

Most important sections in a software patent application:

Patent claims (independent patent claims and dependent patent claims)
Writing about one or more embodiments, and
Flow diagram and/ flow chart providing details of the algorithm

Software program is not a tangible object and they may not be patentable under the definition that a new, useful, and non-obvious process or product is a patentable subject matter under 35 U.S.C. (United States Constitution) §101.

Therefore the patent writer should be expert in patent application drafting techniques that includes strong patent claims to define the boundary of the invention, details about one or more embodiments, and drawing sections of patent applications.

As discussed earlier, software program is not a tangible object and to make software programs patentable, inventors must propose and create a tangible product which contains the invented software program. For example, when an inventor puts his sensor program, which starts the car engine with one touch finger, into a general purpose computer, this computer is not merely “a general purpose computer” anymore. This is a sensor machine, making it a patentable product even though the sensor software program itself is not patentable.

Best Practices to follow while writing Patent Claims:

While writing the patent claims use of specialized language expressions provide better protection from patent infringers. For example, when an invention contains a particular component, patent writers need to describe it not as one component but “at least” one component.

“At least one” refers to “one or more” components and therefore if a granted patent claims contains ” one ” or “at least one” will make a lot of difference if an infringer infringes upon the patented product. This example illustrates a need for language manipulation in patent claim writing.

To Read more about writing software based patents: Click here

How to get Patent for my Invention & Idea Globally?

How to patent business technology. Contact our patent experts for reviewing your tech application.

How to Patent an Idea Internationally: Decide whether you need an International Patent for Invention

How to patent guide for startups: Individual inventors and startups who think and dream big often come up with patentable ideas for which they wish to file international patents. The inventive concept has to be protected legally before any other party can copy it. Before beginning the process and steps to file an international patent one should ask the question when is the right time to file or apply for international patent. As a business owner if you are thinking about expanding your business in one or more foreign countries, getting an international patent under Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system is a good option.

International Patent Attorney

International Patent Registration

Our team of international patent attorneys are based in Asia. We would like to explain with you about international patents & how to patent innovative systems. How do you get worldwide protection for your invention? Many foreign inventors think and have a point of view that filing international patents gives and grants them protection in 140+ countries across the globe. However, this is not TRUE. The advantage of filing international patent for your invention is entering the member countries of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system in 30 or 31 months from the first patent filing date in the home country.

How to Patent: Cost for Filing International Patents

The cost of applying international patents will depend on many parameters. The first important consideration is whether the patent applicant is an individual or filing international patent as business entity. The cost and fee structure of PCT before WIPO is almost four times the individual fees for the business entity.

Another very important factor is selection of international searching authority (ISA) by the patent applicant. If you have already filed and applied for patent for your invention in home country you can file a complete patent application with patent claims as international patent before WIPO, Geneva. Filing a PCT patent application will cost approximately $1500-USD 2500 depending upon the patent applicant status and selection of international searching authority (ISA). The PCT international patent provides the inventor with the legal right to enter international patent application in other countries under national phase for example in India: National Phase Patent Filling in India. So filing international patent in individual capacity can save cost for the international patent application.

Patent Research Attorney for Protecting Business Methods

Business method patent attorney will assist you understand how to protect business method by combining it with software application. A business method patent attorney is a technology lawyer & patent attorney manages the intellectual property practice at the law firm by focusing on strategic patent prosecution, drafting enforceable patent claims, writing local and international patent applications, patent counselling, patent portfolio management, and patent litigation, in the field of computer engineering, communications, and software technologies.

The patent projects begin by conducting patent prior art search, analysing patent eligibility by performing patentability analysis, drafting of the patent application, filing of parent patent application, filing PCT applications under International Phase and National Phase, responding to objections raised by patent offices, conducting patent hearings and drafting legal agreements and contracts in the business industry.

Computer Hardware and Software Inventions

Computer related Inventions (CRIs) Protection by filing Patents

Computer Hardware and Software Inventions can be patented subject to certain conditions. Among all intellectual property (IP) services in India, patent filing in India is most sought after specially in the case of technologies and innovations pertaining to computer hardware, software and other computer related inventions (CRIs). As per Indian Patent Office, patents are filed in India for innovations involving multiple aspects, such as, computers, computer systems, computer networks, computer related inventions (CRIs), computer hardware and software inventions, data processing systems, data processing methods, information technology, database creation, database processing, database management, software, functions, computer programs, firmware, embedded systems, technical effects and technical advancements.

After performing patent search and analyzing patent search results related to computer hardware and software inventions, it can be seen that most patents filed with patent claims defining computer hardware and software inventions can be categorized into method claims or process claims, apparatus or system claims, computer readable medium claims, or patent claims that are drafted to define a computer program product.

Indian Patent Office Procedure

Patent Examination Request in India

After filing a patent in India for computer related inventions (CRIs), computer hardware, and computer software, the provisions of Indian Patents Act requires the patent applicant to file a request for patent examination, following which the patent will be examined by the Indian Patent Office. The request for patent examination in India can be filed via Form 18 under e-filing mode or physical filing mode. The official fee to file Form 18 for patent examination request under patent e-filing mode is INR 4000, INR 10,000 and INR 20,000 for a natural person (individual patent applicant), a small entity and a legal entity respectively. For physical filing mode, official fee to file examination request vide Form 18 with the Indian patent office, the official fee is INR 4400, INR 11,000 and INR 22,000 respectively.

Patent Examination Procedure in India

After filing of patent examination request for patent applications relating to computer hardware, computer software and computer related inventions (CRIs), computer hardware and software inventions, the patent office examines the patent claims for patent eligibility or patentability, including novelty, inventive step (non-obviousness), and industrial application.

Non-Patentable Subject Matter in India

Section 3 of Indian Patents Act

In addition, the patent examiner also examines the patent claims under the subject matter of non-patentable inventions, specifically section 3(k) of the Indian Patents Act, wherein business methods and software per se are not patentable under the Indian patent laws. This implies that source code of software cannot be patented in India, and the patent laws only allow innovations satisfying the criteria of patentability to be registered as patents in India.

Software Patents in India – Best Practices

Software patent attorneys in India having expertise in patent searching, patent drafting and patent filing generally follow best practices for handling computer related patent matters, and computer hardware and software inventions in India. Patent lawyers and patent law firms in India handle all stages of patent process efficiently, including patent filing and registration, PCT National Phase Application Filing, and Patent Prosecution before the Indian patent office.

5 steps to obtain Patent in India for computer hardware and software inventions

The following 5 steps can be followed in India to obtain and register patents in five steps:

Conduct a patent prior art search to see if the invention has potential to withstand the test of patent eligibility.
Draft a strong patent application with comprehensive and enforceable patent claims
File patent application in India, PCT international phase patent application with WIPO and PCT National Phase Application in multiple countries.
Track patent examination process and understand objections raised by the patent examiner while issuing patent examination report, or first examination report (FER).
Respond to objections properly and ensure timely compliance to proceed the patent towards registration stage and obtain patent registration certificate from the Indian patent office.

What is a business method patent?

Role of business method patent attorney

In the recent technology scenario, business method patents is a buzz word. Although, the word “business method patents” is not defined but in normal day use “business method patents” relates to a patent relating to a method of doing business. Examples for any kind of business method patent will include DATA PROCESSING SYSTEMS OR METHODS, SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL, SUPERVISORY OR FORECASTING PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL, SUPERVISORY OR FORECASTING PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR.

Business Method Patents: IPC G06Q

Most business method patents fall under IPC Class G06Q. The Patent Offices worldwide use IPC patent classification to classify patents that claim a system or apparatus and corresponding methods for performing data processing operations uniquely designed for processing data between servers, & handheld devices.

IPC G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols (apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions

G06Q 30/00 Commerce, e.g. shopping or e-commerce

G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

G06Q 50/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for a specific business sector, e.g. utilities or tourism

G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial, supervisory or forecasting purposes, not involving significant data processing

Is Your Business Method Invention Patent Worthy? Ask & consult your business method patent attorney today

Over the years, the Patent Office have made very clear that a business method can be patented if it meets the standard requirements for patentability. The patentee of a business method patent can patent the business method if it is original, useful, and not obvious.

Examples of Business Method Patents drafted by business method patent attorney

Business method patents relates to a way of doing business which generates revenue for the company and at the same time provides user experience via user interface of the handheld device. Some recent examples of business method patents are:

United States Patent 9514462 granted to Google for content purchasing on a computing device. In one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes receiving, at a computing device and from a computer server system, digital content that is for sale and that is received without having yet been purchased by a user of the computing device; storing the digital content locally on the computing device in a manner that prohibits user access to the digital content; after storing the digital content: receiving user input that indicates the user is purchasing at least a portion of the stored digital content; and in response to the received user input, storing information that indicates the user purchased the portion of the digital content and providing the user with access to the purchased portion of the digital content; and in response to detecting that the computing device is communicatively connected to the computer server system over a network, providing the stored information to the computer server system.

United States Patent 8856922 granted to Facebook for management of reports related to imposter accounts in a social network system. In use, imposter account reports received by a social networking system are put into a report management process that routes the reports into other handling processes based upon the comparison of the probability of fraud in an alleged imposter account versus the probability of fraud in an alleged authentic account. The account determined to be most probably fraudulent is enrolled in an account verification process. In the account verification process, the account-holder is asked to verify their identity automatically. If the automatic verification fails to verify the identity of the account-holder, a manual process for verification is initiated.

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Experts in Litigation, Patent Protection, Licensing & Enforcement, Cross-border Mergers & Acquisitions, Joint Ventures, Foreign Direct Investment & Tech Transactions in South East Asia covering consulting for global patent Attorneys in executing:

Patent drafting & filing for B2C & B2B digital products

Protection of Mobile App’s Intellectual Property via Patents, Copyrights, Website Terms & Vendor Contracts

Wearable device’s patent portfolio protecting hardware, dashboard, app & data analytics software

Medical device patentability analysis, prior art search, provisional & complete patent drafting, patent claims & patent drawings, patent filing in India, PCT, USPTO & EPO, responding to USPTO, UKIPO, MyIPO (Malaysia) & SIPO (Singapore) office actions

Assisting Clients with Complex Patent Issues: Patent Searches, Patent Drafting, Patent Filing, Patent Office Examinations, Patent Prosecution, Patent Due Diligence & Patent Litigation Strategy

Patent Strategy for International Patents, USPTO Filings, Drafting Office Action Response, Patent Reexaminations & Reissue Proceedings, Appeals to PTAB, Patent Office Trials, Inter Partes Review, Post-grant Review, Covered Business Method Patents, Interferences, Derivations & Appeals of PTAB Trial Decisions

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Software Patent FAQs:

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Rahul Dev is a Patent Attorney & International Business Lawyer practicing Technology, Intellectual Property & Corporate Laws. He is reachable at rd (at) patentbusinesslawyer (dot) com & @rdpatentlawyer on Twitter

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September 12, 2016

Global Patent & Trademark Filing Strategy for Cloud Telephony Company – Case Study

This case study is about IP services provided to a client in the domain of cloud telephony. Specifically, the cloud telephony company developed an innovative technology product and this case study provides a reference for patent attorneys and intellectual property law firms worldwide.

Oroginally published here.

Cloud Telephony Product – Innovative Technology

The innovative technology product is aimed at offering cloud telephony solutions to users for performing secure transactions via mobile devices.

Task – IP Protection

Client wanted to protect overall intellectual property (IP) associated with the innovative product, including the technology powering the product, corresponding product and / or service embodiments, and related aspects of intellectual property rights (IPR).

Patent Portfolio – Creation and Development

The first step executed was to create a patent portfolio by drafting and filing multiple patent applications covering different embodiments of the innovative product. The aim of creating patent portfolio was to add value to the company’s intangible assets by developing the patent portfolio into an asset with global execution potential by way of patent licensing and patent assignment.

The patent portfolio included patent applications having claims protecting broad level scope to cover overall technology and corresponding aspects embodied over the wireless network. For example, the parent patent application claimed features to connect users of the product in a secure environment.

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Cloud Telephony Patent – Case Study – Patent Strategy for International Patent Filings and Global Brand Protection via Trademarks from Rahul Dev

Patent Filing vs. Product Launch

Considering the fact that the innovative technology could be applied across multiple industry sectors, parent patent application was filed well ahead of the product launch date and subsequent patent applications were filed in a timely manner in-sync with the subsequent versions and features of the technology product.

Patent Strategy

An accelerated patent strategy was formulated for the client with a view to achieve timely and enforceable patent protection across multiple jurisdictions based on the business interests of the client. Consequently, a strong patent portfolio was created and developed across different countries by way of international patent filings (PCT International Phase Patent Filing, PCT National Phase Patent Filing, Paris Convention). By taking advantage of the patent cooperation treaty (PCT) as per the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation), patent filing procedure across different patent offices was streamlined by bringing together a strong network of international patent attorneys to work on the project.

Brand Protection – Trademark Registrations

In addition to patent protection, multiple brands associated with the product were protected by filing applications for domestic and international trademark trademark registrations. International brand protection was achieved by way of Madrid system, which includes Madrid Protocol, which is related to Madrid Agreement, an international treaty to facilitate international registration of trademarks and management of trademark applications.

Conclusion

Therefore, as may be seen, different aspects of intellectual property rights can be protected by collectively filing multiple patent and trademark applications, both domestically and internationally.

Rahul Dev, Partner at the law firm of Tech Corp Legal LLP, is a patent attorney and international technology business lawyer. Dev’s corporate law practice is aimed at integrating patents, technology laws, intellectual property rights, regulatory and security laws to provide services to Tech companies.

Patent Drafting Resources

About Us – Indian Patent Law Firm

We, at Tech Corp Legal LLP, an Indian law firm serving global clients and patent attorneys worldwide, provide quality patent drafting services to inventors. Along with patent support services provided by GIP Research, we offer top quality patent specification drafting services including enforceable patent claims and high quality patent illustrations.

Our team of patent attorneys and technical patent experts has comprehensive experience in executing projects pertaining to international patent drafting, patent drafting services, drafting patent claims and patent applications, software and mobile app patents, provisional and non-provisional patents, patent searches, office action responses, etc.

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Rahul Dev is a Patent Attorney & International Business Lawyer practicing Technology & Corporate Laws. He is reachable at info (at) techcorplegal (dot) com & @rdpatentlawyer on Twitter

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