The administration of patent matters in India is handled by the Patent and Trademark Office. This office falls under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, which is under the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India. The General Comptroller of Patents, Designs and Trademarks is responsible for administrative processes related to Intellectual Property Rights, including Patents. There are four patent offices located in four different locations in India to facilitate the filing of patent applications among Indian researchers and scientists. The central Patent office is located in Kolkata, while the Trademark offices are located in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai.
These four offices have jurisdiction over different states of the country. The patent office hierarchy includes the Comptroller General for Patents, Designs and Trademarks, who is supported by the Joint Senior Comptroller for Patents and Designs. The Joint Comptroller of Patents and Designs reports to the Senior Joint Comptroller. The joint controller supervises the functions of the deputy controllers who supervise the deputy controller of patents, designs and trademarks.
Examination of patent applications is carried out by patent examiners. The Government of India has established a Patent Information System (PIS) in Nagpur which provides services for patents and patent search. PIS provides information to researchers and scientists. The Intellectual Property Training Institute (IPTI) was established in 2002. The IPTI provides training to personnel involved in the field of Intellectual Property and also conducts awareness programs for lawyers and researchers.
The Patent Office conducts the Patent Agent examination twice a year. A successful candidate can work as an approved patent agent. The examination is carried out at the central office and three regional offices.