Delhi High Court Sets Out Parameters For Patentability Of Computer Related Inventions

In Ferid Allani (Petitioner) v Union of India And Ors (Respondents), the Delhi High Court (Court) directed the Indian patent office to reassess the Petitioner's patent application in light of the Court's observations on patentability of computer related inventions.

The Petitioner's patent application was in respect of a method and device for accessing information sources and services on the web. The patent application consisted of method claims and system claims. The Patent Office upon examination of the patent application concluded that the method claims were a computer program and that the system claims lack novelty as well as inventive step, and on that basis rejected the patent application.