Foreign Patent Grants Or Rejections Have Only A Persuasive Value
Fact of the Case:
Milliken and Company, the appellant, challenged the refusal of their Indian
patent application (no. 6093/DELNP/2013) for "Additive Compositions and
Thermoplastic Polymer Compositions Comprising the Same" by the Assistant
Controller of Patents and Designs. The rejection was based on two grounds: lack
of inventive step and insufficiency of disclosure. Milliken contended that the
Assistant Controller failed to consider a crucial statement by Dr. Nathan A.
Mehl, an expert and employee of the company, filed during the post-hearing
submissions.
Procedural Background (in brief):
The patent application was filed in India in 2013 and went through various
stages, including the issuance of the First Examination Report (FER) and a
pre-grant opposition. In 2023, the Assistant Controller refused the patent
application under Section 15 of the Patents Act, 1970. The appellant then filed
this appeal under Section 117(A) of the Patents Act, arguing that procedural
irregularity occurred due to non-consideration of Dr. Mehl's statement, which
addressed key objections. The matter was heard on 13th November 2024 and 11th
March 2025.
Reasoning of Court:
The Court held that the appellant had submitted the expert statement of Dr.
Nathan A. Mehl within the permissible time frame under Rule 28(7) of the Patent
Rules, 2003. The Court rejected the respondent's argument that Dr. Mehl's status
as an employee invalidated the independence or weight of his statement. The
Court emphasized that industry experts, even if employees, are often competent
to provide technical clarifications.
Additionally, the Court clarified that decisions of foreign patent offices, such
as the European Patent Office's rejection of Dr. Mehl's statement, are not
binding on Indian authorities. To support this view, the Court referred to the
judgment in Communication Components Antenna Inc. v. Ace Technologies Corp. and
Ors., 2019 SCC OnLine Del 9123, where it was held that foreign patent grants or
rejections have only a persuasive value and cannot dictate the decision-making
process of the Indian Patent Office. The Delhi High Court in that case had
stated that claims in foreign jurisdictions could be referred to ensure that the
invention is broadly the same and to avoid "evergreening" but cannot be treated
as determinative for the Indian decision-making process.
Based on this, the Court concluded that the Assistant Controller should have
independently evaluated Dr. Mehl's statement.
Decision:
The Court remanded the matter back to the Assistant Controller of Patents and
Designs for a fresh hearing and a de novo consideration of the patent
application, specifically directing the Assistant Controller to assess Dr.
Nathan A. Mehl's statement on merits. A fresh speaking order was directed to be
passed following the hearing.
Case Title: Milliken and Company vs Controller of Patents and Designs & Anr.
Date of Order: 11th March 2025
Case Number: C.A.(COMM.IPD-PAT) 15/2023
Neutral Citation: Not provided in the document
Name of Court: High Court of Delhi
Name of Hon'ble Judge: Hon'ble Mr. Justice Amit Bansal
Decision:
The suit was decreed in favor of the plaintiffs. The defendants were permanently
restrained from using "Liv-333" or any other mark deceptively similar to
"Liv.52." The court awarded ₹10,91,567 as costs and ₹20 lakhs in damages, citing
the need for deterrence. The decree was passed under Order VIII Rule 10 CPC due
to the defendants' failure to file a defense.
Written By: Advocate Ajay Amitabh Suman, IP Adjutor - Patent and
Trademark Attorney
Email: ajayamitabhsuman@gmail.com, Ph no: 9990389539
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