PCT national-phase entry
Entry filed within the Indian deadline, with the specification and claims adapted to what the Indian Office expects.
For foreign applicants and firms, and for Indian applicants filing abroad
Offices in Vadodara, Sangli, Udaipur and Montreal
Filing into India, or out of India into the world.
Two very different jobs that use the same knowledge. Getting a foreign application through the Indian system, and getting an Indian application into foreign systems — with the compliance steps on each side handled before they become problems.
8,000+Prior-art searches
3,200+Patents filed
2,400+FER replies filed
11,000+Clients served
A corridor that runs both waysInbound & outbound
Rest of worldApplicants & firms
IndiaFiling & prosecution
Foreign applicants entering India, and Indian applicants filing out of it — the same team, in both directions.
VadodaraIST
SangliIST
UdaipurIST
MontrealEST
Track record
Our track record
Twelve years of Indian filing and prosecution, and a Montreal office for clients who would rather not work only on IST.
8,000+Prior-art searches
3,200+Patents filed
2,400+FER replies filed
11,000+Clients served
Inbound
For applicants entering India
India is a national-phase destination for a large share of PCT applications, and the parts that catch people out are procedural rather than technical.
Corresponding-application statements
India requires information about corresponding foreign applications, kept updated. Missing it is a genuine risk to the application, not a formality.
FER replies and hearings
Examination reports answered, objections argued and hearings attended — 2,400+ FER replies filed to date.
Trademarks and designs in India
Class strategy for the Indian market, oppositions, and design registrations for products sold or manufactured here.
Outbound
For Indian clients filing abroad
The compliance step on this side is Section 39, and it is the one nobody remembers until it is too late to fix.
Section 39 foreign filing permission
An Indian resident generally may not apply abroad without permission, or without first filing in India and waiting the prescribed period. We check it at the start of every outbound matter.
PCT or direct Paris Convention filings
Two settled countries often favour direct filings; an unsettled list favours the PCT. The PCT page sets out both.
Foreign associates, coordinated
Instructions, translations and fee handling arranged with local attorneys, with one point of contact on your side.
Deadlines across territories
National-phase dates, renewals and responses tracked per country. IP management & watchdog.
Practicalities
Working across time zones
Most of the friction in cross-border IP work is not legal. It is a missed reply because two offices were never awake at the same time.
A Montreal office as well as three in India
Which gives a working overlap with North America and Europe rather than a twelve-hour gap and a queue of emails. All offices and locations.
Dates diarised in your time zone, not ours
Indian statutory deadlines are absolute. We work them backwards to a date that is comfortable where you are, not tight where we are.
Written status, not chased status
Reporting letters on every action, so a firm instructing us does not have to ask what happened.
Straight talk
What we will tell you honestly
What you can rely on
- Fees quoted in writing before work begins, with official fees shown separately
- A named person handling the matter, not a shared inbox
- Section 8 and Section 39 checked as standard, not on request
- A clear statement when something is outside what we do
What nobody can promise you
- That an application will be granted — that is the examiner’s decision, not ours
- A fixed grant date; Indian examination timelines move
- That a clear search means no one will ever assert a right against you
- That foreign official fees will not change mid-matter
Quoted in writing per matter — no rate card
How fees work, and what moves them
Fees are quoted in writing before work begins, with official government fees shown separately from professional fees so you can see which is which. We do not publish a rate card, because inbound national-phase entry and an outbound multi-country programme are not comparable engagements.
For firms instructing us on behalf of a client, we can quote on a per-matter or a standing-instruction basis. Reduced official fees apply in India to natural persons, startups and small entities.
Direction of travel
Entering India, filing out of India, or both on the same family.
How many territories
One national phase, or a coordinated programme across several offices and associates.
Specification length and claims
Pages and claims above the prescribed limits attract additional official fees.
Translation requirements
Several jurisdictions require certified translation of the full specification.
How far prosecution runs
Filing only, or examination reports, objections and hearings carried through.
Straight answers
Questions we are asked most
Can you act for a foreign applicant in India?
Yes. Foreign applicants file in India through a local representative, and that is a substantial part of what this practice does — national-phase entries, direct convention filings, trademarks and designs. You keep ownership and control of the application throughout; we act on your instructions and report on every action taken.
What is Section 8 and why does it matter?
Section 8 of the Indian Patents Act requires an applicant to tell the Indian Patent Office about corresponding applications for the same invention filed outside India, and to keep that information updated as the family develops. It matters because non-compliance is a ground that can be raised against the patent later — it is one of the most common avoidable defects in foreign-origin Indian applications, and it is entirely a matter of process rather than merit.
Do Indian applicants need permission to file abroad?
Usually, yes. Under Section 39, a person resident in India generally may not apply abroad for a patent without either written permission from the Indian Patent Office, or having first filed in India and waited the prescribed period. It is checked at the start of every outbound matter, before anything is filed outside the country, because it is not a defect that can be corrected afterwards.
Do you work with foreign law firms?
Yes, and a good share of the inbound work arrives that way. For firms instructing us on behalf of their own clients we work to your reporting standards, quote per matter or on standing instructions, and keep the client relationship yours. Conflict checks are run before any matter is accepted.
How are fees handled?
Quoted in writing before work begins, with official government fees payable to the Indian Patent Office shown separately from professional fees, so nothing is bundled into a single opaque number. For multi-country outbound work, foreign associate fees are passed through and identified as such. If official fees change mid-matter — which happens — you are told before anything is paid. Send us the matter details for a written quote.
Not quite you?
Other pages that may fit better
Talk to an IP expert
Tell us which direction you are going.
Inbound or outbound, send the matter details and you will get a written quote and a named contact — in your working hours, not only ours.