Before a trade show or demo day

Run this a month before the event, not the week of it.

CriticalBefore filingFounderInventorEngineer

Events are where the most expensive disclosure mistakes happen, because everything about them is designed to make you show more.

Tick anything that is true. Each tick opens a short note on why it matters. Nothing you tick is sent anywhere - it stays in this browser tab.

Is anything filed yet?India has no general grace period. A demonstration before your priority date is prior art against you.
If yes: File a properly written provisional before the event. It takes days, not months.
Has the exhibition been notified under section 31?The twelve-month limb applies only to exhibitions to which the Central Government has extended section 31 by notification.
If yes: Do not assume it has. Most commercial trade fairs are not notified.
Have you decided what will and will not be shown?A demonstration can disclose the mechanism even without a word being said.
If yes: Agree in advance which internals stay closed and which questions get a general answer.
Will the session be recorded or streamed?A recording is a dated, permanent, findable disclosure.
If yes: Assume it will be public forever and plan the content accordingly.
Does the handout or deck contain enabling detail?One architecture diagram can disclose more than several pages of text.
If yes: Keep the enabling detail in a separate annex issued under NDA.
Are your staff briefed on what to say to technical questions?The disclosure usually happens at the stand, not on the stage.
If yes: One page of guidance, agreed beforehand, is enough.
Will you keep a record of what was shown?If a question arises later, the extent of disclosure is the whole argument.
If yes: Keep the deck as presented, the handout, photographs of the stand and the date.

Filing before the event costs a few days. Not filing can cost the invention.

Sources & further reading

The Patents Act, 1970 (consolidated to 1 August 2024) — Official IP India text

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Before anything is drafted, the useful work is establishing what is already public, what is genuinely yours, and what you can honestly claim.

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Educational guidance, not legal advice. This material is published by Ragulika IP for general education and information. It is not legal advice, it does not create a professional-client relationship, and it is not a substitute for advice on your own facts. Patentability, infringement, prosecution strategy and every other IP outcome turn on the specific facts and on the law and Patent Office practice as they stand at the time you act. Please take professional advice before making a decision, and read the underlying provision or judgment before relying on any point stated here.

Last reviewed by Ragulika IP on 2026-08-23. Indian patent law and Patent Office practice change; check the position before you rely on it.