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Patent Protection and Intellectual Property Enforcement in India

Guidelines for Entrepreneurs

What intellectual property objects are protected and where are they registered

Intellectual Property (IP) in India is protected under various national laws. The Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM) is the primary administrative body for patents, designs, trademarks, and geographical indications.
State registration is not required

  • Copyright (literary, dramatic, musical, artistic works, cinematograph films, sound recordings)

Voluntary registration with CIPC

Registration with The SICLD Registry is required to obtain statutory protection

  • Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout Designs (SICLD)

Registered by Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority (PPVFR Authority)

  • Plant Varieties (under a separate act)

Mandatory state registration

Registered by Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM)

  • Patents
  • Designs
  • Trademarks
  • Geographical Indications (GIs)

How to find a patent attorney?

A list of registered patent agents is maintained by the office. This list can be viewed at CGPDTM website. The applicant is free to appoint any patent agent from the said list.

https://iprsearch.ipindia.gov.in/AgentRegister/

Further, for assisting startups to file the patent applications, the Patent Office has enrolled the facilitators and prescribed a certain limit of fee reimbursement to be paid to the facilitators under the SIPP scheme.

International filing systems

International filing systems provide a unified registration procedure that allows an applicant to file a single application and subsequently obtain legal protection for IP objects in the designated member states.
Madrid System
Patent cooperation treaty (PCT)

IP Objects

Patents
Read more
DESIGNS
Read more
TRADEMARKS
Read more
GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS (GIs)
Read more
COPYRIGHT
Read more
Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout Designs (SICLD)
Read more

Stages of registration in the Office of CGPDTM

Filing an application
Applications can be filed online or offline (by post or at the counter) at the appropriate office
Formal Examination (Preliminary)
A preliminary report is issued to check for deficiencies and compliance with the respective Act and Rules
Compliance/Response
The applicant must respond to the objections or deficiencies raised in the examination report within the prescribed time (e.g., 30 days for Trademarks)
Substantive Examination / Hearing
The application is examined on substantive grounds. In some cases, a hearing is scheduled to resolve objections (e.g., for Trademarks and GIs)
Publication
Accepted applications are published in the relevant official journal (Trademark Journal, GI Journal, etc.) for opposition
Opposition Period
Third parties can oppose the registration within a specific period (e.g., 4 months for Trademarks and GIs)
Registration and Grant of Certificate
If no opposition is filed, or if the opposition is dismissed, the IP is registered, and a registration certificate is issued

IP Objects Comparison

Parameter

Patents

Designs

Trademarks

GIs

Copyright

SICLD

Plant Varieties (PPVFR)

Registration

Mandatory

Mandatory

Mandatory

Mandatory

Voluntary

Voluntary (must be registered for protection)

Mandatory

Term of protection validity

20 years from the date of filing

10 years from registration,

10 years

10 years from filing

Varies by work (Chapter V of Copyright Act).

10 years from filing or first commercial exploitation, whichever is earlier.

Depends on variety (Section 24(6) of the Act).

Maintenance / Renewal

-

Renewal for 5 years with prescribed fee.

Renewal every 10 years with prescribed fee.

Renewal every 10 years with payment of renewal fee.

Not applicable (term is fixed).

-

-

International systems

PCT

-

Madrid

-

Berne Convention

-

-

Legal sources

Patents Act, 1970; Patents Rules

Designs Act, 2000; Designs Rules

Trade Marks Act, 1999

GI Act, 1999; GI Rules, 2002

Copyright Act, 1957

SICLD Act, 2000; SICLD Rules, 2001

PPVFR Act, 2001

Measures to Prevent Infringement of Intellectual Property Rights

Publication of information in open registers

Read more

Marking of goods with protection symbols

Read more

Border Enforcement Measures

Read more

Contractual Regulation

Read more

Documentation

Read more

Monitoring

Read more

Liability for IP Rights Infringement

Criterion

Civil Liability

Criminal Liability

Administrative / Border Enforcement

Jurisdictional authority

District Court or High Court (Section 134 of Trade Marks Act, Section 66 of GI Act, Chapter XVIII of Patents Act).

Magistrate/Criminal Court (Chapter XIII of Copyright Act, Section 56 of SICLD Act).

Customs Authorities of India (Border enforcement for Copyright).

Subject of claims (sanctions)

- Injunction (including ex-parte).

- Damages or an account of profits (at plaintiff's option).

- Delivery-up of infringing labels and marks for destruction or erasure.

- Imprisonment.

- Fines.

- Seizure of infringing copies.

- Delivery of infringing copies to the owner.

- Forfeiture of goods (for SICLD).

- Prohibition of import.

- Destruction of imported goods that infringe copyright.

Conditions of application

For Patents, the suit for infringement can be filed only after a patent is granted. For Designs, relief can be claimed from the date of registration.

Infringement of Copyright is a criminal offense. For SICLD, penalty for contravening Section 18 of the Act.

For Copyright infringement, assistance from customs authorities is available.

Additional information

For Patents, in case of a counter-claim for revocation, the suit is transferred to the High Court.

Criminal remedies complement civil remedies (for Copyright).

-

Unregistered IP Rights Enforcement and Protection

Patents

Patent registration is mandatory to avail statutory protection.
Subject matter of an invention will not be protected if it is not registered or if the Patent is not renewed.

Designs

Unregistered designs do not have the statutory protection provided under the Designs Act.
Common law principles can offer some protection if the design is associated with a well-established reputation Limited and not as robust as the protection for registered designs.

Trademarks

A trademark owner is not entitled to initiate infringement proceedings for an unregistered trademark.
The owner can take legal action under the common law principle of "passing off" (Section 27(2) of the Trade Marks Act, 1999).

Geographical Indications

No person is entitled to institute proceedings for infringement of an unregistered GI.
The right to action against any person for passing off goods as the goods of another person (injunctions, damages, accounts of profits) is not affected.

Copyright

Registration is not mandatory. As per the Berne Convention, unregistered copyrights receive the same protection.
The original creator can avail the legal remedies provided under the Copyright Act.

Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout Designs (SICLD)

No person is entitled to institute any proceeding for infringement of an unregistered layout-design (Section 16 of the SICLD Act, 2000).
Registration is necessary for legal protection.

What to do in case of infringement of unregistered rights?

Step 1

Gather Evidence:

Document the infringement with as much detail as possible, including dates, evidence of the infringing activity, and its impact on your business

Step 2

Send a Cease and Desist Letter:

Send a formal letter to the infringer requesting them to stop their infringing activities. This letter can also outline your legal claims and demand corrective actions

Step 3

Seek Mediation or Arbitration:

Consider alternative dispute resolution methods to resolve the issue without going to court

Step 4

File a Lawsuit:

If informal resolution methods fail, you may need to file a lawsuit to enforce your rights. Legal action can be costly, so it’s often a last resort

Main National IP Laws

  • The Patents Act, 1970 and The Patents Rules
  • The Designs Act, 2000 and The Designs Rules
  • The Trade Marks Act, 1999
  • The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act, 1999 and The GI Rules, 2002
  • The Copyright Act, 1957 and The Copyright Rules, 2013

https://copyright.gov.in/Copyright_Act_1957/index.html
https://copyright.gov.in/Copyright_Rules_2013/index.html


  • Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (for civil suits related to IP)
  • Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (for criminal remedies related to IP)
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