IP Intelligence › In Simple Words › Statement of working
In simple words
Statement of working
Also called: Form 27, Working statement
India asks patentees a question no other major system asks quite so directly: are you actually using this?
- In simple words
- A statement filed on Form 27 telling the Patent Office whether a granted patent has been worked in India, and if not, why not.
- Think of it as
- An honesty declaration about whether the monopoly is doing anything.
- Why it matters
- The obligation changed materially in 2024. Instead of every year, the statement is now furnished once in respect of every period of three financial years, starting from the financial year beginning immediately after the year of grant, and within six months of the end of each such period. A three-month extension is available on Form 4. The consequences of not filing, or of filing false information, were also rewritten by the Jan Vishwas Act 2023 - imprisonment was removed and monetary penalties with a separate adjudication procedure took its place.
- A simple example
- For patents granted on or before 31 March 2023, the first three-financial-year block under the new regime ends with FY 2025-26, with the statement due within six months of that - that is, by 30 September 2026.
- Common mistake
- Assuming a patent that is licensed rather than manufactured does not need a statement. It does. So does a patent that is not being worked at all - the reasons are what you state.
Sources & further reading
Related
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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.