IPIndia website for Trademarks, Patents, Designs and GI

ipindia.nic.in is the official portal for registering and managing intellectual property (IP) rights in India. The website is maintained by the National Informatics Centre. The law governing the intellectual properties in India is administered by the office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trademarks (CGPDTM).

It is a subordinate office of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India. Applying for trademark registration or its renewal is a cumbersome process involving various steps, a compilation of documents and follow-ups. ClearTax helps you in the entire end-to-end process of trademark registration or renewal at attractive prices and packages.

The price is inclusive of the government fee, with a 100% assurance of security & documented follow-ups. Click on the below link to try different packages of trademark services.

IP India Portal: Purpose and Applicability

The IP India portal is an all-in-one online portal in India for Intellectual Property. On this portal, suppliers of goods and services can register their right to moral protection and material interests, resulting from ownership or authorship of scientific, literary or artistic productions. This website primarily engages users on compliance matters related to design, patents, trademarks and geographical indications (GI).

However, the registration and management of the copyrights in India are administered by the Copyrights Office of Government of India on a separate platform known as the copyright.gov.in  

Homepage of the IP India & Services Available

The homepage of the IP India portal gives a comprehensive view of the facilities available on the IP rights in India. The following is a list of sections on the homepage:

(1) Menu bar for IP rights & RGNIIPM: It displays four tabs on IP rights such as Patents, Designs, Trademarks and GI, together with a fifth tab for visiting the portal on Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Intellectual Property Management (RGNIIPM). A user can further navigate into each of the IP rights by clicking on the tabs. It will take them to a new window.

Alternatively, they can select the dropdown arrow beside them to read all about act, rules, FAQs, Administration, or get contact information, forms and service matters. The following sections will cover these in detail. RGNIIPM, Nagpur provides training and organises tests for the examiners of Patents, Designs, Trademarks and GI, IP professionals and IP managers.

(2) E-Gateways, Publication, Resources, About us: The four tiles primarily provide information and quick service links to users and visitors of the website. The tiles such as Publication and Resources provide reports on the research and developments, journals and e-learning on IP rights. Apart from the information, users can access important services readily, such as public search or electronic filing and compliance utilities on patents, trademarks, designs, and GI by clicking on E-Gateways. External links to Copyrights, Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Registry (SICLDR) and Indian Patent Office (ISA/IPEA) are also provided on the homepage of IP India.

(3) News & Updates and Events: These sections give an update on the latest developments and events at the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks as well as international updates about the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

(4) Miscellaneous section: There are multiple tiles for different services such as access to the mobile application link, video conferencing system, central government’s public grievance portal, gallery and Right to Information (RTI).

IP India Services for Managing Patents

A patent is a form of IP rights that a person uses to protect his commercial inventions and creations, from being used, copied or sold. A person may take a lot of time to obtain a complete patent since several details of the design and its specifications are required. Hence, a provisional patent is obtained as a first step on the IP India portal. The portal provides the following services on patents, as listed below:

1. eFiling services for patents
2. Public Search and application status
3. Dynamic Utilities for patents

Each of the above-listed services is explained in further sections. A user can navigate to patent services by clicking on ‘Patents’ tab on the menu bar of the IP India portal homepage. The following window will appear:

The menu bar highlighted in the above screenshot helps any user to understand and learn more about patent law, its administration in India, read the publications and get answers to frequently asked questions on patents. The ‘Service Matters’ option mostly pertains to the recruitment drives and staffing of various grades of examiners of Patents and Designs. The ‘Cause List’ tab allows users to check the list of patent application/disputed cases heard so far with their statuses. Each of the above services is explained below.

(1) Online filing of patents On clicking ‘Comprehensive e-filing services for Patents’ link on Patents page, the below window opens.

The users must log in to file patents applications. On logging in, they get exclusive services such as tracking payments, history of filing, the validity of patent registration, hearings, etc.

(2) Public search and application status The other three tiles on public search available on the Patents page lead the user to the Indian Patent Advanced Search System (InPASS). It allows tracking patents on the ‘18th-month’ publications, or granted patents, as well as allows checking the patent application status. Users need not log in to avail these services. Various details are required to be entered to search for patents. Tabs such as ‘Patent E-register’ and ‘Application Status’ are also present. A glimpse of the window looks as follows:

(3) Dynamic utilities for patents In order to access various utilities related to patents, a user will need to click on ‘Dynamic Utilities’ under the ‘E-Gateway’ tile, on the right-hand side of the IP India homepage, as shown below:

The following screen appears with a series of links. A new window with search filters open up when these links are clicked, giving out the following details:

Compliance Services for Designs

Industrial designers can register their product designs with the government and secure their rights over them too. They must make a public search before applying for the industrial design. As per the Designs Act, an industrial design refers to the creation of any original features of new shape, configuration, surface pattern, ornamentations and composition of lines or colours. It is applied to articles which appeal to and are judged solely by the eye, when in the finished state. The IP India portal is a single dashboard for multiple facilities pertaining to design rights. The following services are available for designs, dealt with in the later sections:

1. Application for Design (Requires a login registration)
2. Public Search for Designs ( Does not require the user to login)
3. Status check of Design Application (No login required but application number is necessary)

A user can navigate to design services by clicking the ‘Designs’ tab on the menu bar of the IP India homepage. The below screen will appear on clicking ‘Design tab’. The user can visit the links provided on the right-hand side of the screen such as E-Gateways, Publication, Resources, etc.

Alternatively, while on the homepage, the user can also click on the dropdown menu as given below:

One can readily access a checklist for making design applications, the forms for various compliances, law, FAQs and publications for obtaining information about the design rights. Under the ‘E-Gateways’, a user can click any of the links as given below to go to a comprehensive e-filing or public search screen.

A screen appears which allows him to choose any of the services highlighted below:

Each of the above services is explained below.

(1) ‘eFiling Designs’ under Comprehensive E-Filing You need to use registered login credentials to make a design application, either with a password or digital signature and by entering the captcha code.

(2) ‘Designs’ option under Public Search Users can select or enter the search criteria in multiple fields to search for existing designs. The screen is displayed below.

(3) ‘Designs’ Option under Status Users can get the status of their application with the authorities by entering the design application number.

User services for Geographical Indications (GI)

Geographical Indications are signs used on products to show their geographical origin. The nature of the product can be classified either as agricultural, natural, manufactured, or handicrafts. Mostly, the consumers of these products identify that these come from a particular region. For example, Darjeeling tea is GI. GI is applied by any person or its manufacturer or an organisation or legal authority. However, the applicant must represent the interest of all the producers. He can make a detailed application with the Registrar of Geographical Indicators together with a prescribed fee. Following are the services provided on IP India portal for GI registration, which will be further detailed out in later sections.

1.  
2. eFiling Geographical Indications (Requires a login registration)
3. Geographical Indications Registry (No login required as it is a public list)

A user can navigate to GI services by clicking on the menu bar on the IP India homepage. The below window will appear on clicking the ‘GI’ tab.

The menu bar in the above screenshot allows the user to access journals by the authorities, guidelines readily, ‘E-citizen’, etc. for obtaining information about GI and developments around it. One can visit the links provided on the right-hand side of the screen, such as E-Gateways, Publication, Resources, etc. At the bottom of the page, tickers on the news and latest information about GI are displayed too. On clicking ‘Comprehensive E-filing’ or any other links below it, the user will be taken to the ‘E-Gateway’ screen as shown below:

Each of the above services is explained below.

(1) eFiling Geographical Indications You need to use the registered login credentials to make an application for GI, either with a password or digital signature and by entering the captcha code.

(2) Geographical Indications Registry It contains a list of 688 GIs holding valid registration of GI in India, with more details about the application status.

How to manage Trademarks on IP India?

Trademarks protect creations which are usually signs, images, symbols, and sounds that differentiate any products and services from others in the same genre. There are many benefits of registering a trademark, such as legal protection and brand recognition. Read more about it on our article-Benefits of trademarks registration. In India, the trademark registration and renewal is done on the IP India portal.

On the IP India homepage, users can click on the ‘Trade Marks’ tab on the menu bar. The following window appears: On the menu bar, various quick links are available that give information about trademark Act, rules, service matters and authorities. The IP India portal makes the following services available for users regarding the trademarks:

1.  
2. Online filing of Trademarks (Requires login to avail this service)
3. Public Search of Trademarks (Does not require login)
4. Registered Trademarks and Application status information (Does not require a login, but requires various other information such as application number)
5. Dynamic Utilities for Trademarks

Each of the above services is explained below.

(1) Online filing of Trademarks The user can navigate to the online filing window of trademarks by clicking on the ‘Comprehensive eFiling services of Trade Marks’ on the Trademark page. The following window appears:

Users can enter the username and password to log in. Alternatively, they can use their digital signatures to sign in. The following window appears:

On the left-hand panel, several options are available. On clicking ‘IAOI’ that stands for ‘International Applications Originating from India’, you can choose from several services surrounding the international trademark registration. These pertain to filing of the Form MM2, deficiencies, payments, etc. that are governed by the Madrid Protocol.

Secondly, users can file new applications for any class of trademark such as TM-A, M, C, O, R, P, U and G, by clicking on ‘New Form Filing’. Among other options, history of filings, downloads, payments, RTI application, and updates on forms are also available. Read our article to know the detailed steps on the registration process for trademarks.

(2) Public Search of Trademarks On clicking ‘Public Search’, the following window appears:

Users can filter the search based on Wordmark, Vienna code or Phonetic. For more details, read our article on how to check for a trademark.

(3) Registered Trademarks and Application status information The ‘Trade Mark Status’ tab will take the user to a new window as given below:

Users can track the status of five different items as given in the above screenshot. Read our article to know more about how to track the status of Trademark applications.

(4) Dynamic Utilities for Trademarks On the right-hand side of the IP India homepage, a user has to click on ‘Dynamic Utilities’ under the ‘E-Gateway’ as shown below:

The following screen appears with a series of links. A new window with search filters open up when these links are clicked, giving out the following details: