Patent Act_20

What is the meaning of national treatment under the Paris Convention?

This is a very important concept and is essential for successfully achieving the fundamental aim of the Paris Convention. The idea is to provide equal treatment to applications from member countries, in a given member country and not to differentiate between the nationals of your country and nationals of the other countries for the purpose of grant, and protection of industrial property in your country. Imagine that a national of country X applies for grant of a patent in India. According to the Paris Convention, the Indian Patent Office shall apply the same norms and rules, to the applicant from X, as applicable to an Indian applicant, for granting a patent. Similarly the applicant from X shall have the same protection after grant and identical legal remedies against any infringement shall be available to the applicant provided the conditions and formalities imposed upon Indians are complied with. No requirement as to domicile or establishment in the country where protection is claimed, may. be imposed.

Patent Act_19

What are the principal features of the Paris Convention?

The principal features of the Paris Convention have been listed below
National treatment

Right of priority

Independence of patents

Parallel importation

Protection against false indications and unfair competition

Patent Act_18

What is the Paris Convention?

The Paris Convention is an international convention for promoting trade among the member countries, devised to facilitate protection of industrial property simultaneously in the member countries without any loss in the priority date. All the member countries provide national treatment to all the applications from the other member countries for protection of industrial property rights. The Convention was first signed in 1883. Since then, the Convention has been revised several times, in 1900 at Brussels, in 1911 at Washington, in 1925 at the Hague, in 1934 at London, in 1958 at Lisbon and in 1967 at Stockholm. The last amendment took place in 1979. mdia became a member of the Paris Convention on December 7, 1998. (Readers may note the use of the phrase 'Industrial Property' and not Intellectual Property).

Patent Act_17

What is industrial property?


Industrial property includes:
(a) Patents
(b) Utility models
(c) Industrial designs
(d) Trademarks, service marks and trade names
(e) Indication of source or appellations of origin (this is same as the geographical indications adopted in TRIPS);