E-Filing of Patent Application

Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, has launched the e-filing of Patent & Trademark applications, at a function organised by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) on 20 Jul 2007. With the launch of e-filing facilities the Minister stated that applicants can file their patent and trademark applications from anywhere in the world at any time at their convenience through Internet. Payments can also be made through the Payment Gateway of authorised bankers, which would save time and money and the hassles involved in visiting and filing the applications in the offices. Dwelling on the future initiatives, Shri Kamal Nath said the next step is making Indian Patent Office (IPO) an International Search Authority (ISA) and an International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. Application for this will be filed with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), he informed. Currently, there are only 12 such authorities. Recognition as ISA and IPEA will enhance the prestige of the IPO and may attract work from abroad. "India is also at an advanced stage of joining the Madrid Protocol on Trade Marks. The Bill for making the changes necessary in the Trade Mark law will be introduced in the forthcoming session of the Parliament. Madrid Protocol is a simple, facilitative and cost-effective system for registration of International Trademarks. India's membership of the Madrid Protocol will help Indian companies to register their trade marks in the member countries of the Protocol through a single application".