The Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks has recently issued a notification, effective from 1 July 2009, that it shall, from now on, issue all notifications and communications electronically. The communications include notices and examination reports to patent agents and applicants and shall be sent to their email ids mentioned in their documents in accordance with the provisions of Rule 6 of the Patents Rules 2003. The applicants or agents who have not supplied their email ids are directed to submit the same to the respective patent offices addressing their technical heads. Further, the notification also directs the applicants and patent agents to provide their email ids at the time of filing the patent application in Form -1.

This step indicates that the Patent office in India is gearing up for reform in the way patents are prosecuted in India. This move is expected to facilitate not only domestic filing, in that it will assist easy access and storage as well as get rid of the delays in communication, which had often resulted in abandonment, but also assist the foreign applicants. The modernization drive started by the Controller General, P.H. Kurien at the Patent Office is evincing results and the electronic notifications will only make the working more efficient. It had been recognized as a long felt need within the industry as well as among the patent agents. The benefits of technology are being realized to get rid of the communication gap and alleviate paper work management at Patent office.

The fifth Consultative Working Group Meeting on Patents, Designs and Trademarks in India, constituted by The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, which has the task of bringing up the intellectual property issues of concern to the industry before the government, had mooted for electronic communications by the Patent Office in April 2009. The Consultative group had been suggesting electronic correspondences regarding any matter related to patent prosecution in India.

This move will bring the functioning of Indian Patent Office in line with the international standards as also expedite the process of patent grant.