前次修法重点
1. 提交优先权证明文件及其英文译本不可延期：
针对PCT进入印度国家阶段之申请案，若优先权文件在PCT国际阶段未递交或未提供DAS码给国际局，申请人须在自首次优先权日起31个月补提。倘优先权证明文件非为英文，提交优先权英译证明文件的期限为自审查委员发出要求日起 3 个月内，且该期限不得延期，若未依时提交，将会被视为未主张优先权。
2. 专利使用声明书提交：
期限为授予专利权后的日历年开始，且于该日历年结束前的 3 个月内提交。
3. Form 27更新：
专利权人/被授权人无需于年度商业使用报告里提供在印度制造或进口到印度的专利产品数量，只要求陈报专利权人/被授权人在印度制造或进口该专利产品的大概价值利益，使专利权人/被授权人能够准确提供有关其核准产品或方法之使用的相关讯息。再者，新的Form 27新亦新增用于提交专利方法、产品、累计价值与相关讯息之字段，要求专利权人/被授权人陈报使用方法专利在印度制造或进口到印度产品的估计利益。
此次沿革
The India Ministry of Commerce and Industry has issued a notification that the Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2020, was released and enforced on 19 October, 2020.
印度商工部已发布通知，《2020年专利（修订）规则》已于2020年10月19日发布并实施。
In summary, the key amendments have an impact on the requirements for filing priority documents and its verified English translation, as well as the timeline and content required when submitting the Statement of Working for a granted patent in India:
此次主要修法为主优文件及其英译证明文件的相关要求，以及提交已注册专利使用声明的内容及时间点。
1. The requirements for submitting priority document(s) has been amended to broaden the exceptionto include situations under Rule 17.1(b-bis) of the PCT Regulations, wherein the applicant asks the Receiving Office to obtain the priority document from a digital library. Furthermore, submission of an English translation is only required when the validity of the priority claim is relevant to determination of patentability or when errors in the international filing date have been corrected (Rules 51bis.1(e)(i) and (ii) of the PCT Regulation).
此次修法扩大了要求提交优先权文件的例外，包含了《PCT实施细则》细则17.1（b之二）规定的情况，其中申请人要求受理局从电子图书馆获取优先权文件。此外，只有在优先权对发明的可专利性有影响时，或在提交PCT国际专利申请案时的错误已被更正的情况下，才需要提交英文翻译。
2. A Statement of Working for a granted patent will have to be filed for each financial year (beginning 01 April) instead of the calendar year as previously stipulated, starting from the financial year commencing immediately after the grant of the patent. Further, the statements can be submitted within six months from the expiry of each financial year.
专利使用声明必须从授予专利后的每个财政年度开始（从4月1日起）提交，而不是先前规定的日历年提交。此外，可以在每个财政年度届满后的六个月内提交声明。
Practice Recommendations
Submission of priority document
If a priority document is made available to the International Bureau from a digital library under Rule 17.1(b-bis) of the PCT Regulations, the Applicant need not submit the priority document. In addition, a verified English translation of the priority document no longer needs to be filed unless the application falls under Rules 51bis.1(e)(i) and (ii) of the PCT Regulations.
如果优先权文件是根据PCT细则第17.1（b-之二）条由电子图书馆向国际专利局提供，则申请人无需提交优先权文件。此外，除非申请案符合《 PCT实施细则》规则51之二.1（e）（i）和（ii）的规定，否则不再需要提交经过验证的优先权文件英文译本。
Statement of Working
Accordingly, for the upcoming reporting, the Statement of Working for patents granted before 01 April 2020 can be submitted from 01 April 2021 to 30 September 2021. Relevant information from the period 01 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 will need to be submitted.
For more details of the amendments to the India Patent Rules, please refer to the write-up below.
因此，可以在2021年4月1日至2021年9月30日之间提交2020年4月1日之前已授权专利的使用声明，2020年4月1日至2021年3月31日期间的相关信息也将需要提交。
有关修法详细信息，请详底下文章。
I. Priority document
The previous Rule 21 stipulated that a priority document is not required to be filed if the same has been filed at the Receiving Office under Rules 17.1(a) and 17.1(b) of the PCT Regulation. In addition, it was also stipulated that a verified English translation of the priority document had to be filed in all national phase applications if the priority document was not in English.
先前的第21条规定，如果优先权文件已经根据PCT规章的细则17.1（a）和17.1（b）提交给了受理局，则无需再提交优先权文件。此外，还规定若优先权文件不是英文，则必须在所有国家阶段申请时提交优先权文件的经过验证的英文翻译。
The amendments to Rule 21 broadens the exception to include Rule 17.1(b-bis) of the PCT Regulations, where the applicant asks the Receiving Office to obtain the priority document from a digital library.
此次修法扩大了有关规则第21条提交优先权文件的例外条件，包含了《 PCT实施细则》细则17.1（b之二）规定的情况，其中申请人要求受理局从电子图书馆获取优先权文件。
In addition, according to amended Rule 21, the Patent Office can ask for submission of a translation only when a case falls under Rules 51bis.1(e)(i) and (ii) of the PCT Regulations i.e. only when:
此外，根据经修订的第21条，只有在案件属于《 PCT实施细则》第51条之二.1（e）（i）和（ii）的情况下，即在以下情况下，专利局才能要求提交翻译：
a. the validity of the priority claim is relevant to determination of patentability, or
优先权与发明的可专利性的判定有关，或者
b. errors in the international filing date have been corrected (under Rules 20.3(b)(ii) or 20.5(d) on the basis of the incorporation by reference under Rules 4.18 and 20.6 of the PCT regulations).
提交PCT国际专利申请案时的错误已被更正（依据PCT条例细则4.18和20.6的细则 20.3（b）（ii）或20.5（d））。
II. Changes to Statement of Working
As per the Indian Patent (Amendment) Act, 2005 under Section 85, the Patents should be worked in India on a commercial scale and to the fullest extent within the territory of India and the patented article should be available at reasonably affordable prices to the public in India.
根据2005年《印度专利（修正案）法》（第85条）的规定，专利应在印度应用于商业上，并在印度境内最大限度地发挥作用，并且与专利有关的产品应以合理的价格于印度贩卖。
Every patentee and licensee is required to furnish a periodical statement specifying the extent to which a patent has been commercially worked in India. Previously, such statement was to be furnished every calendar year within three months of the end of each year under Section 146 (2) of the Patent (Amendment) Act. 1970 and Rule 131 of the Patent Rule, 2003. This means that every patentee and every licensee had to file a working statement by 31 March of the year outlining the information regarding the commercial working of patent in the previous calendar year.
每个专利权人和被授权人都必须定期提供一份专利使用声明，说明专利在印度商业化的程度。先前根据1970年专利规则和2003年专利规则第131条中的《专利（修正案）法》第146条第（2）款，该声明应在每年结束的前三个月内提供，也就是每个专利权人和被授权人都必须在当年的3月31日之前提交叙述与上一个日历年度有关的专利商业运作的信息。
Previous Rule 131(2) states:
“The statements referred to in sub-rule (1) shall be furnished in respect of every calendar year within three months of the end of each year.”
The amended Rule 131(2) states:
“The statements referred to in sub-rule (1) shall be furnished once in respect of every financial year, starting from the financial year commencing immediately after the financial year in which the patent was granted, and shall be furnished within six months from the expiry of each such financial year.”
The amendment to Rule 121(2) means that the Statement of Working for a granted patent will have to be filed for each financial year (as opposed to calendar year) starting from financial year commencing immediately after the grant of the patent. The financial year is taken to begin on 01 April.
依据修正后的细则121（2），已注册专利的使用声明书必须从授予专利后的每个财政年度开始提交。财政年度定于4月1日开始。
In addition, the deadline to submit the Statement of Working is now 6 months from the expiry of the financial year, as opposed to the previous deadline of 31 March every year (3 months from the end of calendar year). As the financial year is taken to be 01 April to 31 March of the subsequent year, the Statement of Working must be submitted latest by 30 September for the relevant financial year.
此外，提交专利使用声明的截止日期是财政年度届满后的6个月内，而先前的截止日期是每年3月31日（日历年届满前的3个月）。由于该财政年度定为下一年的4月1日至3月31日，因此最晚必须在相关财政年度的9月30日之前提交专利使用声明。
Amendments have also been made to Form 27 (Statement Regarding the Working of Patented Invention(s) on a Commercial Scale in India). The amendments are detailed below.
表格27也修改了有关专利在印度商业使用程度的声明。详细修正如下：
a. The amended form allows patent holders to submit a consolidated statement for related patents, wherein the approximate revenue / value accrued from a particular patented invention cannot be derived separately from the approximate revenue/value accrued from related patents.
修改后的表格允许专利权人提交相关专利的合并报表，其中特定专利的预估利益不可从其他相关专利中细分出来。
b. Removal of the requirement of identifying licenses/sub-licenses in a given year.
取消了要求揭露授权/再授权的相关信息。
c. Removal of the requirement of having to state whether the public requirement has been met at a reasonable price.
无需说明是否以合理的价格来满足公共需求。
d. Details for patents that are worked or not worked are to be provided in 500 words.
已使用或未使用的专利相关信息叙述应于500字以内。
结语
此次修法值得注意的是，若持续未能提交专利使用声明(Form 27)或提交了不真实的信息，虽然专利权不会立即失效，但丧失全部或一部分专利权的风险将慢慢增加。例如，印度专利法允许在某些条件下将专利权强制许可授予第三方，其中的条件即是专利在印度没有实施或充分发挥作用，除了为第三方提供了强制许可的机会，实施或未实施专利权在未来面临侵权诉讼时也是判决参考的重要因素之一，且丧失专利权之外还可能被处以罚款甚至判处监禁，或两者并罚。即使提交专利使用声明非强制，但要维护权利所需采取的行动也不可忽视。
文献参考:
1. Spruson & Ferguson Intellectual property
2. 经济部智慧财产局
3. 印度专利局
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