Assignment 2 Soln
Assignment 2 Soln
Intellectual Property (IP) refers to the legal rights granted to individuals or entities over the creations of
their minds. It includes inventions, literary and artistic works, symbols, names, images, and designs used
in commerce. The primary purpose of IP laws is to promote innovation and creativity by giving creators
certain exclusive rights to use and benefit from their work for a specific period.
1. Copyright:
• What it Protects: Literary works (books, poems, articles), artistic works (paintings,
photographs), music, films, software, and other creative content.
• Duration: Typically lasts the creator's lifetime plus 50-100 years, depending on jurisdiction.
• Key Features: Protects the expression of ideas, not the ideas themselves.
2. Patent:
• What it Protects: Inventions, processes, or technical solutions that are new, useful, and non-
obvious.
• Key Features: Encourages innovation by granting inventors exclusive rights to produce, use, or
sell their inventions.
3. Trademark:
• What it Protects: Brand names, logos, slogans, and other identifiers that distinguish goods or
services.
• Duration: Renewable indefinitely in 10-year intervals, as long as the trademark remains in use.
• Key Features: Protects a brand’s identity and ensures consumers can identify the source of
goods or services.
4. Trade Secrets:
• What it Protects: Confidential business information, such as formulas, processes, customer lists,
or marketing strategies.
5. Industrial Designs:
• Key Features: Protects the visual appeal of a product, not its functionality.
• What it Protects: Names or signs that identify a product as originating from a specific location,
possessing qualities or a reputation due to that origin (e.g., Champagne, Darjeeling Tea).
• Duration: Indefinite, as long as the product continues to meet the necessary conditions.
2. What do you mean by patent? Explain with registration process of patent in India.
A patent is a legal right granted to an inventor by the government, providing exclusive rights to make,
use, sell, and distribute an invention for a specified period, usually 20 years. It protects new, useful,
and non-obvious inventions, including products, processes, or solutions.
The primary purpose of a patent is to encourage innovation by offering inventors temporary
monopoly rights, allowing them to recover research and development investments while preventing
unauthorized use of their invention.
1. Determine Patentability
• Ensure the invention is patentable under Indian law. The invention must satisfy three key criteria:
1. Novelty: The invention must be new and not disclosed publicly.
2. Inventiveness: It should involve an inventive step and not be obvious.
3. Industrial Applicability: The invention must have practical utility.
6. Examination
• File a Request for Examination (Form 18) to initiate the examination process. The patent
application is scrutinized for compliance with legal requirements and patentability.
• An examiner reviews the application and issues a First Examination Report (FER) with objections,
if any.
7. Response to Objections
• Address the objections raised in the FER by submitting clarifications or amendments. This is a
crucial step where the inventor must prove the novelty and utility of the invention.
8. Grant of Patent
• If the examiner is satisfied, the patent is granted and published in the Patent Gazette. The
patentee receives a certificate of grant.
Post-Grant Requirements
1. Renewal Fee:
o A yearly fee must be paid to keep the patent in force.
2. Working of Patent:
o File Form 27 annually to declare whether the patent has been worked in India.
3. What are the different things are patentable according to Indian patent law, explain in brief.
Patentable Inventions under Indian Patent Law
According to the Indian Patents Act, 1970, an invention is patentable if it meets the following
criteria:
1. Novelty: The invention must be new and should not have been published or publicly known
anywhere in the world before the filing date.
2. Inventive Step: It must involve a significant improvement or an inventive step that is not
obvious to a skilled person in the field.
3. Industrial Applicability: The invention must be capable of being manufactured or used in
some kind of industry, providing practical utility.
1. Products:
o Machines, devices, or articles of manufacture.
o Chemical compositions or formulations (e.g., pharmaceuticals, polymers).
o New materials, such as alloys, composites, or chemicals.
2. Processes:
o Methods or processes for manufacturing products.
o Techniques used in industries, such as mechanical, electrical, or chemical processes.
3. Software-Related Inventions:
o Software that demonstrates technical advancement and provides a tangible industrial
application (e.g., embedded systems, algorithms controlling hardware).
4. Biotechnology:
o Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and microorganisms.
o Biological processes and products (e.g., vaccines, enzymes).
o DNA/RNA sequences and recombinant technologies.
5. Pharmaceuticals:
o New drug compositions or active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
o Innovative formulations or drug delivery mechanisms.
6. Engineering and Technology Innovations:
o Innovations in fields like electronics, telecommunications, or automobiles.
o New designs for machines or devices.
7. Agriculture:
o New methods of crop production or pest control.
o Genetically modified plants with enhanced traits (subject to certain conditions).
8. Environmental Technology:
o Inventions that address environmental challenges (e.g., renewable energy systems, waste
management processes).
Conclusion
In summary, a wide range of products and processes are patentable under Indian patent law,
provided they meet the criteria of novelty, inventive step, and industrial applicability. However, the
exclusions under Section 3 and 4 ensure that inventions harmful to society, abstract ideas, or
natural phenomena are not granted patents.
4. What are the different things are not patentable according to Indian patent law, explain in brief.
Non-Patentable Inventions under Indian Patent Law
The Indian Patents Act, 1970, under Section 3 and Section 4, specifies categories of inventions that are
not eligible for patents. These exclusions are intended to ensure that the patent system promotes
innovation without harming public interest, morality, or natural laws.
Non-Patentable Inventions (Section 3)
1. Frivolous Inventions (Section 3(a)):
o Inventions that are trivial, useless, or violate natural laws.
o Example: A perpetual motion machine claiming to produce unlimited energy.
2. Inventions Contrary to Public Order or Morality (Section 3(b)):
o Inventions harmful to public health, safety, or the environment.
o Example: Biological weapons or harmful chemicals.
3. Discovery of Scientific Principles (Section 3(c)):
o Scientific principles, abstract theories, or the discovery of a natural phenomenon.
o Example: The discovery of gravity or a natural DNA sequence.
4. Mere Discovery of New Form or Property of a Known Substance (Section 3(d)):
o Known substances with no significant improvement in efficacy.
o Example: A new form of a known drug without enhanced therapeutic efficacy.
5. Substances Obtained by a Mere Admixture (Section 3(e)):
o Compositions formed by combining substances without a synergistic effect.
o Example: Mixing two chemicals without creating a new functional property.
6. Methods of Agriculture or Horticulture (Section 3(h)):
o Processes related to farming, plant growth, or cultivation.
o Example: A new method for growing crops.
7. Processes Relating to Medical Treatment (Section 3(i)):
o Surgical, therapeutic, diagnostic, or curative methods for humans or animals.
o Example: A new surgical technique or a method for treating cancer.
8. Biological Processes and Living Organisms (Section 3(j)):
o Plants, animals, and biological processes, except microorganisms.
o Example: A genetically modified plant.
9. Mathematical or Business Methods and Computer Programs (Section 3(k)):
o Algorithms, business strategies, or standalone software without hardware application.
o Example: A software program for managing sales.
10. Aesthetic Creations (Section 3(m)):
o Artistic, literary, or dramatic works protected under copyright.
o Example: A painting or a song.
11. Presentation of Information (Section 3(n)):
o Purely informational content or data presentation.
o Example: A graphical representation of sales trends.
12. Traditional Knowledge (Section 3(p)):
o Knowledge that is already publicly known or part of cultural heritage.
o Example: Herbal remedies in Ayurveda.
6. What is the meaning of Trademark? Explain in brief with its registration process.
A Trademark is a distinctive sign, symbol, word, phrase, logo, design, or combination thereof
that identifies and distinguishes the goods or services of one business from others. It serves
as a branding tool to build recognition and protect the commercial identity of a product or
service.
Example: Logos like the Nike "Swoosh" or the word "Apple" associated with technology.
10. Explain the meaning of copyright with its entire process of getting copyright.
Copyright is a form of intellectual property (IP) that grants the creator of an original work exclusive
rights to its use, distribution, and reproduction. It protects creative works such as literature, music, films,
software, art, and other original creations. The primary goal of copyright is to encourage creativity by
ensuring that creators can benefit from their work.
Features of Copyright
1. Automatic Protection: Copyright is granted as soon as a work is created in a tangible form.
2. Exclusive Rights: Includes rights to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, and create derivative
works.
3. Duration: In India, copyright lasts for the creator's lifetime plus 60 years posthumously.
Conclusion
Copyright is an essential tool for safeguarding creative works and ensuring that creators receive credit
and financial benefit. While it is automatically conferred, registration strengthens its enforceability and
facilitates dispute resolution.