Powers of Controller in cases of anticipation
Section 18 of the Patents Act, 1970 deals with powers of Controller in cases of anticipation. Where it appears to the Controller that the invention so far as claimed in any claim of the complete specification has been anticipated in the manner referred to in clause (a) of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) of section 13, he may refuse to [the application] unless the applicant-- (a) shows to The Act came into force on 01 Apr 1978.
(1) Where it appears to the Controller that the invention so far as claimed in any claim of the complete specification has been anticipated in the manner referred to in clause (a) of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) of section 13, he may refuse to 1[the application] unless the applicant--
(a) shows to the satisfaction of the Controller that the priority date of the claim of his complete specification is not later than the date on which the relevant document was published; or
(b) amends his complete specification to the satisfaction of the Controller.
(2) If it appears to the Controller that the invention is claimed in a claim of any other complete specification referred to in clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 13, he may, subject to the provisions hereinafter contained, direct that a reference to that other specification shall be inserted by way of notice to the public in the applicants complete specification unless within such time as may be prescribed,--
(a) the applicant shows to the satisfaction of the Controller that the priority date of his claim is not later than the priority date of the claim of the said other specification; or
(b) the complete specification is amended to the satisfaction of the Controller.
(3) If it appears to the Controller, as a result of an investigation under section 13 or otherwise,--
(a) that the invention so far as claimed in any claim of the applicant's complete specification has been claimed in any other complete specification referred to in clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 13; and
(b) that such other complete specification was published on or after the priority date of the applicant's claim,
then, unless it is shown to the satisfaction of the Controller that the priority date of the applicant's claim is not later than the priority date of the claim of that specification, the provisions of sub-section (2) shall apply thereto in the same manner as they apply to a specification published on or after the date of filing of the applicant's complete specification.
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Section 18, 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.
This section refers to
Referred to by 1
Questions about Section 18
What does Section 18 of the Patents Act deal with?
Section 18 of the Patents Act is headed "Powers of Controller in cases of anticipation". Where it appears to the Controller that the invention so far as claimed in any claim of the complete specification has been anticipated in the manner referred to in clause (a) of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) of section 13, he may refuse to [the application] unless the applicant-- (a) shows to
How do I find court cases under Section 18 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 18, section 18 Patents Act, section 18 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 18 of the Patents Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 13 (Search for anticipation by previous publication and by prior claim), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 1 other provision in this corpus refers back to it.
When did Section 18 of the Patents Act come into force?
Section 18 of the Patents Act, cited as Patents Act 18, 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 17 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.