Question:medium

What is the term of a patent in the Indian system?

Updated On: Jul 13, 2026
  • 20 years
  • 40 years
  • 30 years
  • 12 years
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

This question checks a single fixed number from the Patents Act, the length of time a granted patent stays in force. That number is set by Section 53 of the Act, and matching each option against it is the quickest route to the answer.

  1. 20 years: this is the term fixed by Section 53 of the Patents Act, 1970, running from the date the patent application was filed, and it applies to every field of technology in India since the 2005 amendment.
  2. 40 years: too long, no clause of the Patents Act mentions this figure.
  3. 30 years: also incorrect, this number does not appear anywhere in the patent term provisions.
  4. 12 years: too short for a patent term under current Indian law, and not supported by the statute.

Let's summarize:

  • Section 53 of the Patents Act, 1970 fixes the patent term at 20 years from the filing date.
  • This term is uniform across all technology fields and matches India's TRIPS obligation of a minimum 20 year patent term.

The correct term of a patent in India is 20 years.

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