Page:Patents Act 1970 (India).pdf/48

 employee of a Government undertaking and the subject-matter of the invention is certified by the relevant Government or the principal officer of the Government undertaking to be connected with the work done in the course of the normal duties of the Government servant or employee of the Government undertaking, then, notwithstanding anything contained in this section, any dispute of the nature referred to in sub-section (1) relating to the invention shall be disposed of by the Central Government conformably to the provisions of this section so far as may be applicable, but before doing so the Central Government shall give an opportunity to the patentee and such other parties as it considers have an interest in the matter to be heard.

104. Jurisdiction

No suit for a declaration under section 105 or for any relief under section 106 or for infringement of a patent shall be instituted in any court inferior to a district court having jurisdiction to try to suit:

Provided that where a counter-claim for revocation of the patent is made by the defendant,the suit, along with the counter-claim, shall be transferred to the High Court for decision.

105. Power of Court to make declaration as to non-infringement (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in section 34 of the Specific Relief Act, 1963, any person may institute a suit for a declaration that the use by him of any process, or the making, use or sale of any article by him does not, or would not, constitute an infringement of a claim of a patent against the patentee or the holder of an exclusive licence under the patent, notwithstanding that no assertion to the contrary has been made by the patentee or the licensee, if it is shown-
 * a. that the plaintiff has applied in writing to the patentee or exclusive licensee for a written acknowledgement to the effect of the declaration claimed and has furnished him with full particulars in writing of the process or article in question; and
 * b. that the patentee or licensee has refused or neglected to give such an acknowledgement.

(2) The costs of all parties in a suit for a declaration brought by virtue of this section shall, unless for special reasons the court thinks fit to order otherwise, be paid by the plaintiff. (3) The validity of a claim of the specification of a patent shall not be called in question in a suit for a declaration brought by virtue of this section, and accordingly the making or refusal of such a declaration in the case of a patent shall not be deemed to imply that the patent is valid or invalid. (4) A suit for a declaration may be brought by virtue of this section at any time after the date of advertisement of acceptance of the complete specification of a patent, and references in this section to the patentee shall be construed accordingly.

106. Power of Court to grant relief in cases of groundless threat of infringement proceedings (1) Where any person (whether entitled to or interested in a patent or an application for a patent or not) threatens any other person by circulars or advertisements or by