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Patent Criticalities

The things that quietly decide whether an invention can be protected - explained before they cost you anything.

Showing 7 of 56.

Critical

You told the world before you told the Patent Office

In India there is no general grace period. If your invention was made available to the public before your priority date, that disclosure is prior art against your ow…

Before filingBeginner
High

The prior art nobody checked

Prior art is anything already available to the public, anywhere in the world, in any language, in any form. A team can be genuinely original and still be second - an…

Before filingBeginner
Critical

A granted patent does not mean you are free to sell

A patent is a right to stop other people. It is not a licence to practise your own invention. Your product can be simultaneously protected by your patent and blocked…

After grantBeginner
Critical

Most applications do not fail. They stop.

Very few Indian applications are refused after an argument. Most simply end because a date passed - and because there is no decision to appeal, there is often nothin…

During examinationBeginner
Critical

The patent died of neglect

Renewal fees are due from the expiration of the second year from the date of the patent, and each year after. Miss them and the patent ceases to have effect - usuall…

After grantBeginner
High

A granted patent can still be taken away

Grant is a decision by an examining office on the material in front of it. Section 13(4) says expressly that it carries no warranty of validity - and there are four …

After grantBeginner
High

Nobody enforces your patent for you

Granting a patent and enforcing it are done by completely different institutions. The Patent Office has no role once a patent is granted - enforcement is a civil act…

After grantBeginner

LowWorth knowing
MediumCould create complications
HighCan materially affect protection
CriticalAct before proceeding

This is the Ragulika IP Educational Criticality - our own editorial prioritisation device, to help you decide what to read first. It is not a legal score, it is not calculated from your facts, and it says nothing about the strength of any particular application.

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Every explanation here links to the ones next to it. Follow the thread rather than the menu.

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.