Patents Act, 1992

Amendment after grant.

38.—(1) Subject to the following provisions of this section, the Controller may, on an application made in the prescribed manner by the proprietor of a patent, allow the specification of the patent to be amended, subject to such terms as to advertising the proposed amendment and such other conditions, if any, as he thinks fit; provided that no such amendment shall be allowed where there are pending before the Court or the Controller proceedings in which the validity of the patent has been or may be put in issue.

(2) In any proceedings before the Court or the Controller in which the validity of a patent is put in issue, the Court or, as may be appropriate, the Controller may, subject to the following provisions of this section, allow the proprietor of the patent to amend the specification of the patent in such manner, and subject to such terms as to advertising the proposed amendment and as to costs, expenses or otherwise, as the Court or the Controller thinks fit.

(3) An amendment of a specification under this section shall be invalid to the extent that it extends the subject matter disclosed in the application as filed or the protection conferred by the patent.

(4) An amendment of a specification under this section shall have effect and be deemed always to have had effect from the date of the grant of the patent.

(5) Where an application for leave to amend a specification has been advertised in accordance with subsection (1) or (2), any person may give within the prescribed period notice to the Court or the Controller, as may be appropriate, of his opposition to an amendment proposed by the proprietor of the patent, and if he does so shall notify the proprietor and the Court or the Controller shall consider the opposition in deciding whether the amendment, or any other amendment, should be allowed.

(6) Where an application for an order under this section is made to the Court, the applicant shall notify the Controller who shall be entitled to appear and be heard on the hearing of the application and shall so appear if so directed by the Court.