Question

Obtaining Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in the form of a 'Patent' is an important activity to protect any invention or discovery. However, filing an application for a Patent is a very critical step in this process. Here is a list of steps in filing and getting a Patent for an intellectual product. Arrange the steps from the first to the last in order -
(A) Filing an application to the Patent Office
(B) Development of a patentable product
(C) Clearing the public challenges or any other issues raised by the Patent Office
(D) Scrutiny and publication of the application by the Patent Office for public knowledge and challenge, if any

• A. (B), (A), (C), (D).
• B. (B), (C), (A), (D).
• C. (B), (A), (D), (C).
• D. (C), (B), (D), (A).

Hint:

To order any legal administrative process, remember that you must always develop the product first (B) and file the application second (A). Clearing challenges and objections (C) is always the final step before the patent is officially granted.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
A patent is a legal right granted by a government to an inventor, protecting their invention from being made, used, or sold by others for a limited period.
Obtaining a patent follows a strict, formal legal and administrative procedure.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us arrange the steps of obtaining a patent in their correct chronological order:
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Step 1: (B) Development of a patentable product:
The inventor must first conceive, design, and develop a novel, non-obvious, and industrially useful product or process.
- (A) Filing an application to the Patent Office:
The inventor submits a formal patent application containing the specification, claims, and technical drawings to the national patent office to secure a filing date.
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Step 2: (D) Scrutiny and publication of the application by the Patent Office:
The patent office reviews the application for formal compliance, and publishes it in the official patent journal (usually 18 months after the filing date) to make it available for public knowledge.
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Step 3: (C) Clearing the public challenges or any other issues raised by the Patent Office:
During the opposition period, the public can challenge the patent.
The patent office also conducts a substantive examination, issuing an examination report.
The inventor must address and clear these objections and public challenges before the patent is officially granted.
Therefore, the correct chronological sequence is: (B) $\rightarrow$ (A) $\rightarrow$ (D) $\rightarrow$ (C).

Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct chronological sequence of steps is (B), (A), (D), (C).