Sunday, February 23, 2025

PROCESS PATENT vs PRODUCT PATENT, Compulsory Licensing


 TYPES OF PATENT :

        PROCESS PATENT

        PRODUCT PATENT

PROCESS PATENT :

The patent is granted for a particular manufacturing process, and not for the product itself. 

Issues with Process Patent :

  • Any other person can produce the same product by minor tinkering with the  PROCESS.
  • Process patent regime gives less protection for the inventor. 
  • The benefit of process Patent Regime is that it reduces the element of monopoly.

PRODUCT PATENT :

  • In the product patent regime, it is an exclusive right given to the original inventor of a product. 
  • This means that no other manufacturer can provide the same product even by using any of the process. 
  • India’s 1970 Patent Act allowed only Process Patent while Indian Patents (Amendment) Act, 2005  complied with WTO’s TRIPs provisions provides for Product Patents.
  • TRIPs follow the Product Patent Regime.
  • The term of protection of an Indian patent is 20 years from the date of filing of the application.

COMPULSORY LICENSE (CL):

  • Compulsory License (CL) provides for third party to make, use, or sell a patented invention without the patent owner's consent .
  • Compulsory License (CL) is  issued by the government to an applicant for making, using and selling a patented product .
  • Section 84 and 92 of the Indian Patent Act,1970 pertains to the grant of Compulsory License.

Compulsory licenses are granted if: 

        Reasonable requirements of the public wrt the patented invention have not been satisfied;

        Patented invention is unavailable to the public at affordable price.

        Patented invention is not used in India.

INDIAN PATENT ACT AND COMPULSORY LICENSING :

Section 84 and Section 92 of the Indian Patent Act,1970 pertains to the grant of compulsory licenses. 

Section 84 of the (Indian) Patent Act,1970: 

It provides that after three years from the date of the grant of a patent, any person can apply for the compulsory license, on certain grounds:

  •      Reasonable requirements of the public wrt the patented invention have not been satisfied;
  •         Patented invention is unavailable to the public at affordable price.
  •         Patented invention is not used in India.

Compulsory license can only be granted  after three years from the date of the grant of patent unless exceptional circumstance .


Section 92 of the 1970 Indian Patents Act:

  • Central Government has the power to allow Compulsory Licenses to be issued at any time in case of a national emergency or circumstances of extreme urge.


No comments:

Post a Comment

LEAD BANK SCHEME

  LEAD BANK SCHEME: Prof. D. R. Gadgil (Gadgil Study Group) recommended for Lead Bank Scheme in order to promote Financial Inclusion. Lead B...