Finally, the Government of India has amended the Rules, rolling back the official fee hike for patents. The amendments in the Rules have been published, but will come into force only when notified in the official gazette.
The fee for claims in excess of 10 (approximately US$18 per claim) and the additional fee for pages in excess 30 in the specification made the total filing fee exorbitant, forcing many filers to rethink their patent filing strategy in India. With the latest amendments, patent filing will become cheaper as the government has removed the excess fee for claims and additional sheets in the specification.
India’s patent system underwent radical changes in terms of quantitative improvements. All the four patent branch offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai have moved into new office buildings. The Delhi Patent Office is operating out of a spacious campus with modern IT infrastructure and other facilities. The focus is now shifted to qualitative improvements
