Update on Recent Stakeholder Meeting Held On 03.08.2018 at IPO, Delhi

Few of the following issues with respect to various field of Intellectual Property, were raised by the stakeholders :

I. Patents:

a) E-communication, websites and allied issues

FERs are not notified to the applicants leading to abandonment of application.
The Patent Office website do not provide for Sequence Listing uploading in txt. format and the inline module do not provide for uploading of formal drawing after the Indian Patent application has been filed. This website also do not provide for Foreign filing authorizations and do not facilitate the certified copy as well.

b) Processing Of Application , Hearing, Video-Conferencing

There is no clarification regarding what documents can be filed by a Foreign Entity for claiming Small Entity Status as per Patent Rules, Form-28.
Hearing notices are not received, thereby leading to abandonment of the application, in case the hearing is not attended.
Hearings are pending in respect of post grant matters and review petitions.

c) There is no mechanism to keep a check on the opposition filed against a patent/patent application, and also the same including Pre-grant opposition is not served to the Applicant.

d) Other Issues

IPOs should provide FAQs with regard to Start-up , NBA and TKDL and allied subject.
IPO must conduct user satisfaction survey on quality of examination.

The IPO considered these issues and is implementing the following change:

IT Support Cell has been established to provide necessary help and resolve the problems relating electronic communication. This has helped IPO in the errors relating to e-communications to less than 1%.
IPO will be implementing IPO2 version of patent database, which will make filing of patent application easy and efficient and would resolve other websites issues.
IPO clarifies that a Foreign entity may submit the financial statement showing its annual turnover in order to claim Small Entity Status complying with the provisions stipulated under MSME Act 2006 of India
IPO advices the applicant to ensure that none of the mails regarding IPO shall drop in the spam account.
In order to settle the work load of IPO with respect to FER, amended cases and post-grant matters and for clearing the pendency of matters, the Controllers appoint hearings.
IPO is under the process of developing a separate module for tracking and updating the proceedings related opposition.
With regard to the FAQs faced by stakeholders from their clients, IPO welcomed to answer all the FAQs provided that the stakeholders shall submit a list of such FAQs.
IPO is developing a separate window of the IPO website in order to facilitate user satisfaction survey on quality of examination.

II. Trade Mark

a) Trade Mark Registry does not allow any amendment to user details defying to the directions given by Delhi HC through decision.

b) TMR do not exercise a uniform Practice in show cause hearings with regard to interpretation of law.

c) Video Conferencing in Trade Marks should be implemented.

d) Refusal orders are sent even after filing the required documents. TMR Chennai is not handling post-registration matters.

e) There is no up-gradation of records of TMR, which results in citing in the examination report, those marks that were registered but not renewed. The dead marks continue to remain in the records of Trade mark register.

f) Hearings in international matters are being held at Mumbai Trade Marks Registry only. However, Section 36C states that an international application shall be dealt with by the head office of the Trade Marks Registry or such branch office of the Registry, as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify.

The steps taken by IPO with regard to the above raised issues:

IPO clarified that Delhi high Court has directed to decide the amendment of user details on case to case basis and no other administrative directions can be issued in this regard. IPO confirms that the matters are refused only in case of insufficient supporting documents.
Trade mark Registry is under the process of preparing a Module for the purpose of registered user.
In order to bring consistency in the proceedings, All hearing officers are being provided with a regular basis training program.
IPO is seriously considering to implement the use of Video Conferencing and thus, the same is under Trial in TMR.
Appropriate action has been taken up for sorting any issues related to proceedings of the post registration matters.
TMR has noted the concern regarding non-up-gradation of Trademark records and appropriate actions will be taken against it.
TMR will be providing Video-conferencing facility in order to conduct the hearings of International matter at all branch office.

III. DESIGNS

a) There are many technical issues regarding online filing of Designs application. Few of the problems are:

Application forms drafted using the online portal are non-editable, therefore, if any amendment has to be made, the whole application is to be drafted again.
The fee receipt issued for online applications do not show details regarding classification of articles.
The online portal of the Design Office do not provide any applications except certified copies.
The applications filed online sometimes are objected to submit original application form and representations, thereby, duplicating efforts and increasing timelines.
The online portal do not show any update regarding any amendments/assignments made in the design post registration.

The Indian Patent and Design office has noted the above issues and are in the process of updating the Module to resolve the issues relating to online filing of applications.

IV. COPYRIGHT

a) IPO do not have efficiency and transparency as the Copyright office does not timely acknowledge or respond to the applicant. In many cases, the copyright office asks the applicant to re-submit copyright work without providing any explanation for the same.

b) Copyright – Searchable data is not available

The steps taken by IPO with regard to the above raised issues:

The Copyright office has taken various steps to reduce the pendency of applications, which has brought a positive change.
The Copyright office website has started to display the application received on a monthly basis, in order to increase transparency and stakeholder’s participation and to make it easier for the applicant to keep a track on the status of the Application. This also helps in facilitating information to the stakeholders and thereby, providing them an opportunity to file an objection if any before the Registrar of Copyrights.
Further, the communication regarding Discrepancy Letter and the Register of Copyrights (R.O.C) between the Copyright Office and the Applicants can be transmitted via emails registered on: www.copyright.gov.in.
Copyright Office has also published the Practice and Procedure Manual for examination of Literary, Artistic, Musical, Sound Recording and Cinematograph Films.
Preparation of database for past copyright register for search purpose is under consideration.

Related Posts