The Government of India introduced a New Manual of Patent Office Practice and Procedures. This New Manual seeks to adapt different improvement like automating and digitalizing the process. This New Manual also tries to boost clarity in the functioning of the Patent Office.
Through the new Manual, the Government has assessed that where an application and all the supplementary documents have been digitally signed by the Applicant/ Patent Agent there is no necessity for physical signature.
Also, the New Manual has helped the online payment mechanism which arranges fees to be paid through a payment gateway with all the prevalent major modes of payments like Net banking, Credit Cards, Debit Cards and Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
Alterations in the New Manual also resolve on condonation of delay in specified cases such as adversity in filing documents online due to online transaction deficiency.
This New Manual is a welcome step towards easing the procedures by bringing-in more clarity, transparency in the fee process and helping digitalizing the process.
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