Patents · Rules · Deadlines
The Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2024: the changes worth acting on
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The 2024 amendment to the Patents Rules changed several timelines and filings that affect every Indian applicant — including the request-for-examination window, the working-statement cycle, and a discount for paying renewal fees in advance.
The Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2024, notified in March 2024, made practical changes that still catch applicants out. The most important: the window for filing a Request for Examination (Form 18) was reduced from 48 months to 31 months from the priority date for applications filed after the amendment came into force. Miss it and the application is treated as withdrawn.
Working statements (Form 27) moved from an annual filing to once every three financial years, reducing routine compliance load for patentees. A new certificate of inventorship was also introduced, giving named inventors a formal document of their contribution.
For renewal budgeting, the amended rules added an incentive: where renewal fees are paid in advance through electronic means for a period of at least four years, a ten percent reduction applies. If you hold granted patents, it is worth asking whether advance payment fits your cash flow.
As always, apply these points to a specific case only after checking the current rules and your application's dates — transitional provisions matter, and this summary is educational, not advice.
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