Govt proposes to make e-filing of patents mandatory

The government has proposed to amend the Patent Rules and make e-filing of applications compulsory in order to bring clarity and efficiency. The commerce ministry’s Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) has come out with a draft and asked for suggestions from stakeholders to amend the Patents Act 2003.

The effort is to maintain accuracy of the patent data as well as related certificates provided by the Patent Office, DIPP said in an official notification.

In case of patent applicants, who may find the mandatory e-filing inconvenient, the government would provide suitable assistance at all its patent offices, it said.

Stakeholders have been given 45 days to make their suggestions to the department.