Section 11A – THE PATENTS ACT, 1970

—(1) Save as otherwise provided, no application for patent
shall ordinarily be open to the public for such period as may be prescribed.
(2) The applicant may, in the prescribed manner, request the Controller to
publish his application at any time before the expiry of the period prescribed under subsection (1) and subject to the provisions of sub-section (3), the Controller shall publish
such application as soon as possible.
(3) Every application for a patent shall, on the expiry of the period specified
under sub-section (1), be published, except in cases where the application—
(a) in which secrecy direction isimposed under section 35; or
(b) has been abandoned under sub-section (1) of section 9; or
(c) has been withdrawn three months prior to the period specified under sub-section
(1).
(4) In case a secrecy direction has been given in respect of an application under section 35,
then it shall be published after the expiry of the period prescribed under sub-section (1) or
when the secrecy direction has ceased to operate, whichever is later.
(5) The publication, of every application under this section shall include the particulars of the
date of application, number of application, name and address of the applicant identifying
the application and an abstract.
(6) Upon publication of an application for a patent under this section—
(a) the depository institution shall make the biological material
mentioned in the specification available to the public;
(b) the patent office may, on payment of such fee as may be prescribed,
make the specification and drawings, if any, of such application
available to the public.
(7) On and from the date of publication of the application for patent and until the date of grant
of a patent in respect of such application, the applicant shall have the like privileges and
rights as if a patent for the invention had been granted on the date of publication of the
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application:
Provided that the applicant shall not be entitled to institute any proceedings for
infringement until the patent has been granted:
Provided further that the rights of a patentee in respect of applications made
under sub-section (2) of section 5 before the 1st day of January, 2005 shall accrue from
the date of grant of the patent:
Provided also that after a patent is granted in respect of applications made under
sub-section (2) of section 5, the patent-holder shall only be entitled to receive reasonable
royalty from such enterprises which have made significant investment and were
producing and marketing the concerned product prior to the 1st day of January, 2005 and
which continue to manufacture the product covered by the patent on the date of grant of
the patent and no infringement proceedings shall be instituted against such enterprises.