Patent Application under the Patents Act, 1970 for Karnataka Applicants
File a provisional or complete patent application for an invention developed in Bengaluru, with the startup or small-entity fee concession claimed where you qualify and the request for examination diarised from day one. Drafting and filing are handled by our registered patent agent partner; CorporateWalla runs the brief, documents and deadlines. Professional fee from Rs 17,499, excluding GST and official fees.
| Item | Position for a Bengaluru applicant |
|---|---|
| Governing law | Patents Act, 1970 and Patents Rules, 2003, as amended in 2024 |
| Appropriate office for Karnataka | Patent Office Branch, Chennai |
| How you file | Online through the Indian Patent Office e-filing system |
| Official filing fee (Form 1) | Rs 1,600 for an individual, startup, small entity or educational institution; Rs 8,000 for others |
| Complete specification after a provisional | Within 12 months |
| Request for examination (Form 18) | Within 31 months of the priority or filing date |
| Expedited examination (Form 18A) | Rs 8,000 for startups and small entities; Rs 60,000 for others who qualify |
| Term of a granted patent | 20 years from the filing date |
There is no patent office in Karnataka. The Indian Patent Office has its head office at Kolkata and branches at Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi, and each branch has a fixed territory. The Chennai branch covers Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, and the Union Territories of Puducherry and Lakshadweep.
Under the jurisdiction rules published on ipindia.gov.in, an applicant files at the office for the place where the applicant, or the first-named applicant in a joint application, normally resides, has a domicile or has a place of business, or where the invention actually originated. A Bengaluru company, an individual inventor living in Bengaluru, or an invention developed in a Bengaluru lab therefore points to the Chennai branch. A non-resident applicant with no place of business in India is placed by the address for service in India or the patent agent's place of business.
In day-to-day terms this matters less than it used to, because filing, fee payment, replies and most hearings are handled online. It still matters for two things: which office's examiners handle the application, and where an in-person hearing would be held if one is ever fixed. It also matters for joint filings, where the order in which applicants are named can change the appropriate office.
Source: Indian Patent Office, Jurisdiction of Patent Offices, ipindia.gov.in. Patent Office Branch, Chennai: Intellectual Property Office Building, G.S.T. Road, Guindy, Chennai 600032.
Bengaluru has a dense concentration of deep-tech startups, corporate R&D centres, university and research-institute labs, and hardware, medical-device and engineering companies. In each of them the same question comes up: has something new been built, and is it worth protecting before it is shown to customers, investors or a conference audience?
A patent protects a product or process that is new, involves an inventive step and is capable of industrial application. It does not protect a brand, which is a matter for trademark registration, or code and content as expression, which fall under copyright. Section 3 of the Patents Act excludes, among other things, mere discoveries, mathematical and business methods, and computer programs per se, so a software-led Bengaluru startup needs claims built around a technical effect, not around the program itself.
The national fee table and form-by-form timeline are on our patent registration page and in the patent filing guide. This page covers what is specific to a Karnataka applicant.
| Task | Handled by | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Invention disclosure and drafting brief | CorporateWalla with your team | What is new, how it works, what you want to stop others doing |
| Patentability search and opinion | Registered patent agent partner | Optional for a provisional; advised before a complete specification |
| Specification and claims (Form 2) | Registered patent agent partner | You approve the final draft |
| Power of attorney (Form 26) | Signed by the applicant | Authorises the patent agent to act before the Patent Office |
| Fee category and Form 28 | CorporateWalla | DPIIT recognition or MSME proof collected and checked |
| Filing and correspondence | Registered patent agent partner | Before the Patent Office Branch, Chennai |
| Deadline tracking and reminders | CorporateWalla | 12 months, 31 months, Form 3 and objection replies |
CorporateWalla is a CA and CS practice, not a patent agent. Only a person registered as a patent agent can draft and file on your behalf before the Patent Office; that work on our files is done by our registered patent agent partner, and we coordinate everything around it.
We take you through what has been built, what is already public and what is planned. For a Bengaluru startup with a demo day or customer pilot coming up, the date of that disclosure usually drives the filing plan.
If the invention is still changing, a provisional specification secures the priority date and gives you 12 months to file the complete specification. If it is stable and tested, a complete specification can be filed straight away.
Where founders or employees invented before or outside their employment terms, we arrange assignments to the company so the application is filed in the right name the first time.
Our registered patent agent partner drafts the specification from the brief and files Form 1, Form 2, Form 3, Form 26 and, where eligible, Form 28 online. The application number and priority date are issued on filing.
Form 18, or Form 18A for expedited examination, is filed with the complete specification or well inside 31 months. The application is published after 18 months unless early publication is requested in Form 9.
After the first statement of objections, the application must be put in order within six months, extendable by three months. Replies, claim amendments and any hearing are handled by the patent agent with our coordination.
| Stage | Time limit or indicative time |
|---|---|
| Disclosure review and brief | 3 - 5 working days |
| Provisional filing | 10 - 15 working days from a complete disclosure |
| Complete specification after provisional | Within 12 months of the provisional |
| Form 3 statement on foreign filings | Within six months of filing |
| Publication | 18 months from priority, or earlier on Form 9 |
| Request for examination | Within 31 months of the priority or filing date |
| Reply to the first statement of objections | Within six months, extendable by three |
Grant timing depends on the Patent Office and cannot be promised. Expedited examination under Form 18A shortens the examination stage considerably for those who qualify, which is why most eligible Bengaluru startups use it.
| Item | Individual / startup / small entity / educational institution | Others |
|---|---|---|
| Form 1 application (up to 30 sheets and 10 claims) | Rs 1,600 | Rs 8,000 |
| Each sheet over 30 | Rs 160 | Rs 800 |
| Each claim over 10 | Rs 320 | Rs 1,600 |
| Form 9 early publication | Rs 2,500 | Rs 12,500 |
| Form 18 request for examination | Rs 4,000 | Rs 20,000 |
| Form 18A expedited examination | Rs 8,000 | Rs 60,000 |
| Form 28 claiming startup or small-entity status | No fee | No fee |
Source: e-filing fees in the First Schedule to the Patents Rules, 2003, as published on ipindia.gov.in. Fees are paid separately at actuals.
| Plan | Professional fee | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Provisional filing | From Rs 17,499 | Disclosure review, drafting brief, provisional specification by our registered patent agent partner, Form 1, 3, 26 and 28 filed, 12-month reminder |
| Complete filing | On quote | Patentability search and opinion, complete specification with claims, Form 5 and Form 18 or 18A |
| Filing to grant | On quote | Complete filing plus reply to the first statement of objections, hearing preparation and renewal calendar |
All plans exclude GST and official fees. Complex inventions, PCT national phase entries and hearings are quoted after the patent agent reviews the disclosure. Grant depends on the Patent Office's examination and is not guaranteed.
All fees and charges listed are indicative only and do not constitute a binding offer. Final amounts may vary depending on the volume of work and the complexity involved.
A DPIIT-recognised startup files at the reduced fee column, which on the application fee is about one-fifth of the standard rate, and qualifies for expedited examination at the reduced Form 18A fee.
The Startup India programme also runs the Startups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) scheme, under which the Central Government bears the fees of empanelled facilitators and the startup pays only the statutory fees. A Bengaluru startup that is DPIIT-recognised should know that option exists. Startups choose us instead when they want drafting, company-law and ownership questions handled by one team, but the choice is yours.
If the company is not yet recognised, DPIIT registration in Bangalore should normally come before the patent filing, so the reduced fees and expedited route are available from the start.
| Deadline | What happens if missed |
|---|---|
| Complete specification within 12 months of the provisional | The application is treated as abandoned |
| Form 18 within 31 months | The application is treated as withdrawn |
| Form 3 within six months, and updates after the first statement of objections | A ground for objection and, later, for revocation |
| Putting the application in order after objections | The application is treated as abandoned if not done in time |
| Renewal fees from the third year | The patent ceases to have effect |
| Statement of working in Form 27, once every three financial years | Penalty for non-filing |
The 31-month period for Form 18 was shortened from 48 months by the Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2024, notified on 15 March 2024. Older guidance still circulating among founders gives the 48-month figure.
| Patent | Trademark | Copyright | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protects | A new technical product or process | A brand name, logo or mark | Original expression, including code as written |
| Office for a Bengaluru applicant | Patent Office Branch, Chennai | Trade Marks Registry branch for the region | Copyright Office |
| Term | 20 years from filing | 10 years, renewable | Generally author's life plus 60 years |
| Must be kept secret before filing | Yes | No | No |
Most Bengaluru product companies need more than one. Our trademark vs copyright vs patent guide sets out which protects what.
We are a CA and CS practice operating under DSG CORPORATE FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLP, with an office at 26, Krishnalaya Complex, 4th Cross, N.R. Road, Bengaluru 560002. Patent drafting and filing are done by our registered patent agent partner; we bring the company-law, ownership and deadline discipline around it.
| Reference | Relevance |
|---|---|
| Patents Act, 1970 | Patentability, application, examination, grant and term |
| Section 3, Patents Act | Inventions that are not patentable |
| Rule 4, Patents Rules, 2003 | Jurisdiction of the appropriate office |
| Rule 24B, Patents Rules | Request for examination within 31 months |
| Rule 24C, Patents Rules | Expedited examination |
| First Schedule, Patents Rules | Official fees |
| Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2024 | 31-month examination window, Form 3 and Form 27 changes |
Authority sources: Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks at ipindia.gov.in, and Startup India at startupindia.gov.in.
A DPIIT-recognised medical-device startup in Bengaluru had a working prototype of a wearable monitor and a hospital pilot due to start in five weeks. Two of the three inventors had built the core circuit before the company was incorporated. We had both assign their rights to the company, and our patent agent partner filed a provisional specification with Form 28 at the reduced Rs 1,600 fee, before the Patent Office Branch, Chennai. The pilot went ahead after the priority date was secured. Ten months later the complete specification was filed with Form 5 and Form 18A, and the first statement of objections was answered within its six-month window.
Illustrative scenario based on typical file patterns. Not a named client engagement.
Same city: DPIIT Registration in Bangalore, Startup Accounting in Bangalore, OPC Registration in Bangalore. National: patent registration, trademark registration, copyright registration and our patent filing guide.
The Patent Office Branch, Chennai. Its territory covers Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, and the Union Territories of Puducherry and Lakshadweep. There is no patent office in Karnataka.
By where the applicant, or the first-named applicant in a joint application, normally resides, has a domicile or has a place of business, or where the invention actually originated. A non-resident without a place of business in India is placed by the address for service or the patent agent's place of business.
No. Applications, fees, replies and most hearings are handled online through the Patent Office e-filing system. The Chennai jurisdiction decides which office examines the application, not where you must physically go.
No. CorporateWalla is a CA and CS practice. Drafting, filing and prosecution on our patent files are handled by our registered patent agent partner, authorised through Form 26, while we run the disclosure brief, ownership documents, fee category and deadlines.
A DPIIT-recognised startup pays Rs 1,600 for the application and Rs 4,000 for normal examination, or Rs 8,000 for expedited examination in Form 18A, filing Form 28 with proof of recognition. Other companies pay Rs 8,000, Rs 20,000 and Rs 60,000.
Yes. Under the Startups Intellectual Property Protection scheme, the Central Government bears the fees of empanelled facilitators and the startup pays only statutory fees. It is a genuine alternative, and DPIIT-recognised startups should consider it.
Within 31 months from the priority date or the filing date, whichever is earlier, under Rule 24B as amended in 2024. If it is not filed in time the application is treated as withdrawn, so we usually file it with the complete specification.
Yes, if the presentation will reveal how the invention works. Public disclosure before filing can destroy novelty. A provisional application can usually be prepared and filed in two to three weeks to secure the priority date before the event.
Our professional fee starts at Rs 17,499 plus GST for a provisional filing. Official fees are separate, starting at Rs 1,600 for an individual, startup or small entity. Complete specifications, searches and objection replies are quoted after the patent agent reviews the invention.
Tell us what you need and a real CA calls you back, with no scripts and no transfers. Call 72783 76654. Mon - Sat, 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM IST.
Reviewed by CorporateWalla's CA and CS team · Last Updated 19 October 2026 · · Sources: Indian Patent Office: Jurisdiction of Patent Offices, Indian Patent Office: fee schedule (First Schedule), Startup India: intellectual property support
Canonical: https://corporatewalla.com/bangalore/patent-registration
