To reduce the cost of Patent filing and prosecution in India, there are number of things an experienced attorney should take in to account. In the event you are filing a PCT national phase application, provide your associate in India following information:-

1.                  The application details including title of the invention, names, addresses and Nationality of the inventors; applicants.

2.                  The complete specification as filed earlier than the International office with drawings claims, and abstract.

3.                  English translation of the International Application if published and filed in                   language other than English.

4.                  Certified copy of the priority document/s if Form PCT/IB/304 is not available.

5.                  The English translation of the precedence documents, if filed and published in language other than English.

Priority documents are to be filed in India within 31 months from date of priority, thus if Form PCT/IB/304 is not available, provide your associate the certified copy of priority documents along with your instruction, so that all documentation can be completed on time. Where the International application or the priority application is in language other than English, provide an English translation of the same to your associate. Following requirements can be complied within 6 months from date of filing of the patent application, if your associate charges for late submission of documents these documents/information can be supplied along with the instructions to file the application.

- Where the Applicant is not the inventor, provide your associate with the any other document or Assignment deed by which the inventor/s have assigned their rights to the Applicant.

The Patent rights in India accrues from the date of publication of application in India, it is therefore advisable to ensure speedy publication of the application. Normally in case of the PCT national phase applications the statutory period of waiting till publication i.e. 18 months is already over, thus the associate should be advised to expedite the publication by chasing the concerned authorities.

A Patent application in India is not examined if not a request for Examination is filed within 48 months from the date of priority. The ordinary time frame from filing of request to issuance of examination report is 18-24 months thus it is also advisable to file the request for examination as soon as possible to expedite the grant in India.