IP Intelligence › What Changed › The draft Patent Office Manual, 2026 is open for comment - a
What changed · 19 August 2026
The draft Patent Office Manual, 2026 is open for comment - and the window is short
What changed
The Controller General has published a draft Manual of Patent Office Practice and Procedure, 2026 for public comment, by a notice dated 19 August 2026, with comments invited within 30 days. A companion draft Trade Marks Office Manual notice followed on 21 August 2026 with a 15-day window.
Why it matters
The Manual is the document examiners actually work from. It folds in the 2024 Rules, the Jan Vishwas changes, the SHANTI Act amendment to section 4, the revised CRI Guidelines and recent case law. Once settled it will shape how objections are framed for years.
Who should care
Anyone who prosecutes Indian patents - applicants, in-house teams, agents and attorneys - and anyone whose subject matter sits near a section 3 boundary.
What you should do
Read the draft and file comments before the window closes. On the current notice dates that means roughly 18 September 2026 for the patent manual and roughly 5 September 2026 for the trade marks manual. Verify the exact deadline on ipindia.gov.in before relying on those dates.
Deadlines here are computed from the notice dates as published. Check the notice itself on the IP India website before planning around them.
Related
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Not sure whether this applies to your invention?
The honest answer usually needs someone to look at your actual disclosure, your timeline and the prior art. That is a conversation, not an article.
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.