Restrictions on practice as patent agents
Section 129 of the Patents Act, 1970 deals with restrictions on practice as patent agents. No person, either alone or in partnerships with any other person, shall practise, describe or hold himself out as a patent agent, or permit himself to be so described or held out, unless he is registered as a patent agent or, as the case may be, unless he and all his partners are so registered. The Act came into force on 01 Apr 1978.
(1) No person, either alone or in partnerships with any other person, shall practise, describe or hold himself out as a patent agent, or permit himself to be so described or held out, unless he is registered as a patent agent or, as the case may be, unless he and all his partners are so registered.
(2) No company or other body corporate shall practise, describe itself or hold itself out as patent agents or permit itself to be so described or held out.
Explanation.--For the purposes of this section, practise as a patent agent includes any of the following acts, namely:--
(a) applying for or obtaining patents in India or elsewhere;
(b) preparing specifications or other documents for the purposes of this Act or of the patent law of any other country;
(c) giving advice other than of a scientific or technical nature as to the validity of patents or their infringement.
Section 129, The Patents Act, 1970 (Act 39 of 1970).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
Referred to by 1
Questions about Section 129
What does Section 129 of the Patents Act deal with?
Section 129 of the Patents Act is headed "Restrictions on practice as patent agents". No person, either alone or in partnerships with any other person, shall practise, describe or hold himself out as a patent agent, or permit himself to be so described or held out, unless he is registered as a patent agent or, as the case may be, unless he and all his partners are so registered.
How do I find court cases under Section 129 of the Patents Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Patents Act 129, section 129 Patents Act, section 129 of the Patents Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome.
What should I read with Section 129 of the Patents Act, and has it changed?
1 other provision in this corpus refers back to it.
When did Section 129 of the Patents Act come into force?
Section 129 of the Patents Act, cited as Patents Act 129, came into force on 01 Apr 1978, having been enacted on 19 Sep 1970. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 18 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.