New Delhi, July 08: The country's Patent Office will
soon be issuing correspondences related to a patent
application in electronic form, a move which will help in
expediting the process of granting intellectual rights.
The Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade
Marks, P H Kurian, today said the plan would take off later
this month.
"Once all formalities are completed, the Patent Office
will start issuing correspondences related to a patent
application in electronic form.
"We expect the correspondences to be issued
electronically later this month," Kurian said over
telephone from Mumbai.
The initiative was expected to begin on July 1.
In a notification on its website, the Patent Office had
said, "From July 1, all communications including notices and
examination reports to patent applicants, patent agents shall
be sent through electronic mail."
Industry body FICCI's Director General Amit Mitra said
that the move would help speed up the processing of patent
applications.
"Introduction of electronic correspondence is a boon for
stakeholders as it will ease the task of patent prosecution in
India, especially for applicants residing in foreign
countries," Mitra said.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, July 09, 2009, 20:26