Startups And Small Entities Receive Special Status In Proposed Amendments

The Government of India recently announced draft amendments to the Design Rules (available at See) and Patent Rules (available at See) with the primary objective of encouraging startups and small entities to protect their intellectual property. The proposed changes include new definitions of "startups" in the design rules (to align with corresponding changes on the patents and trademarks side), and significantly reduced filing and prosecution fees for startups and small entities. Critically, the status of "startup" has also been defined, extending the life of such entities  upto ten years, thus allowing them the benefit of favourable fees, etc., for an extended period of time. These proposed changes are in line with the other amendments that have been introduced over the past few months, and if implemented successfully, could see a wave of new filings in India.