Examination

An examiner reads your application, searches the world's technical literature, and writes down every reason she can find not to grant it. That document is not a rejection. It is the start of a conversation.

In simple words

The stage at which the Patent Office searches for prior art and assesses whether your application meets every requirement of the Act - novelty, inventive step, subject matter, sufficiency, clarity, unity and formalities.

Think of it as

A structured argument, on paper, with deadlines.

Why it matters

Nearly every Indian application receives objections. Receiving them says almost nothing about the quality of the invention; how you answer them says a great deal about the quality of the patent you end up with.

A simple example

A first report might cite three documents against novelty, argue that a fourth makes the invention obvious, object that claim 4 is unclear, and ask for a corrected Form 3. All four have to be dealt with.

Common mistake

Reading a first examination report as a refusal. It is an opening position.

Where it comes from

Patents Act 1970 - sections 12, 13, 14 and 15; Patents Rules 2003, rules 24B and 24C