Indian Patent Applications - status now available on-line

The Indian Patent Office has today launched the [free] on-line status check facility for patent applications.

It is now possible to know whether a patent application was abanoned [or not] or when was an examination report issued OR whether an opposition was filed for the application.

Please click here to visit the site.

It seems that the current site only works for the numbers with format '1234/XXX/YYYY', where XXX is the patent office city code and YYYY is the filing year, take for example - 124/Che/2007. It does not seem to work for applications having the PCT reference in filing number.

---
This follows the earlier positive developments like searchable decisions site, reported here.
After that note, the Indian Patent Office had also moved to giving the granted patent specifications on-line. This is an on-going project.

Kudos to the Indian Patent Office team and its new and dynamic leadership!

Cancer drugs - pre-grant oppositions rejected

Indian patent - IN237430 covers Novatris' anti-cancer drug Nilotinib {Tasigna(R)}. Patentcircle reported on the grant, here. However, it is interesting to note that the underlying application - 3003/CHENP/2004 faced a pre-grant opposition.


Cipla had filed a pre-grant opposition against this application, at the Chennai Patent Office in February 2009. However, in December 2009, the Controller rejected the pre-grant opposition. The Patent Office pre-grant decision for Nilotinib is available here.


This reminds me of Erlotinib {Tarceva (R)}. Indian patent IN196774 covers this drug. The patent comes from application - 537/DEL/1996. Natco had filed a pre-grant opposition to this Application in April 2007. However, the Controller rejected the pre-grant opposition in July 2007. The Erlotinib pre-grant decision is available here.

Rejections from pre-grant- appealable to IPAB by Patent Applicant

I had earlier written on the Tadalafil rejection by the Patent Office in the midst of a pre-grant opposition by Ajanta, here.

After that rejection, Lilly had approached the Delhi High Court and finally, the Delhi High Court has now said that Lilly should instead go to the IPAB.

I have written briefly on this matter on my other blog, here.
The copy of the Delhi High Court order asking Lilly to go to IPAB, is here.