Rule 120 of the Patents Rules, 2003
Publication of the names of patent agents registered under the Act
Requires the Controller to publish the names of persons registered as patent agents so the public can check them.
Official legal text
The verbatim statutory text of this provision is reproduced from the official source and checked by our legal reviewer before it is published here. Until that check is complete for this page, read the exact wording directly from the official source linked below — it is the only version that governs.
Nothing here replaces the statute. The official wording of the provision, together with any Gazette notification that applies to it, governs. This page only explains that material in ordinary language.
What this rule requires, step by step
A register that nobody can see is of little use to the people it is meant to protect. Section 125 requires the Controller to keep a register of patent agents and to have the names published in the prescribed manner. Rule 120 supplies that manner. The Controller publishes the names and particulars of registered patent agents, and the list is made available to the public, in practice through the Official Journal of the Patent Office and the official website.
What publication achieves is verification. An inventor in a small town who has been approached by someone claiming to be a patent agent can look the name up. A company appointing an agent for a portfolio can confirm the registration number before signing an authorisation. A court or another authority can confirm status. Publication also gives the register its disciplinary bite: removals under Rule 116 and restorations under Rule 117 feed into the same public list, so a change in status becomes visible rather than remaining a private matter between the agent and the office.
The published information is limited to the particulars the register carries under Rule 108, such as name, address and registration number. It is not a rating or a recommendation. The Patent Office does not vouch for the quality of any agent's work, only for the fact of registration. Choosing between two registered agents is still a matter of experience, technical field and cost.
Because the list is drawn from the register, it is only as accurate as the entries in it. That is the link back to Rule 118: an agent who has moved without asking for the register to be altered will appear in the published list at the wrong address. Agents should check their published entry periodically and correct it, and users of the list should be alert to entries that look stale.
For applicants the takeaway is short. Before you sign a Form 26 authorising anyone, find them in the published list. It takes a few minutes and it is the single least expensive safeguard available in the Indian patent system.
Why this rule matters
Inventors, startups and companies choosing a patent agent, and agents whose professional status is displayed publicly.
At the point of appointing an agent, and whenever anyone needs to confirm that a person is entitled to act.
A duty on the Controller to publish the names of registered agents, and a practical ability for the public to verify them.
People end up appointing unregistered persons, and agents whose published details are wrong lose enquiries and correspondence.
How it works in practice
Two minutes that saved a filing
Kestrel Robotics Pvt Ltd, a four-person startup in Bengaluru, was approached by a consultant who offered to file its first patent application at half the usual professional fee. The consultant produced a visiting card describing him as a patent and trademark agent. Before signing the authorisation, the co-founder checked the published list of registered patent agents on the Patent Office website and could not find him under any spelling of his name. When asked for his registration number he said the certificate was with his previous firm. Kestrel declined the engagement and instead picked two agents from the published list who worked in the mechanical and robotics field, spoke to both, and appointed one. The published entry also confirmed the agent's office address, which matched the address on the engagement letter. The company later found that the consultant had been offering the same package to several startups in the same co-working space.
Simplified illustration only. Actual legal outcomes depend on the facts.
Key points to remember
- Rule 120 gives effect to the publication duty in section 125.
- Names and particulars of registered patent agents are published and open to the public.
- Publication lets inventors and companies verify an agent before appointing them.
- Removals and restorations become visible through the same public list.
- The published list confirms registration only; it is not an endorsement of skill or fees.
- The list is only as accurate as the register, so agents should keep their entry updated under Rule 118.
Common mistakes and misunderstandings
- Treating appearance on the list as a quality guarantee. It confirms registration, nothing more.
- Relying on a visiting card, a website claim or a certificate photograph instead of checking the published list.
- Assuming a patent agent and a trademark agent are the same thing. They are governed by different laws and different registers.
Connected provisions
Because this page covers a rule rather than a section, the related Act provisions are shown in their own list. The section tells you what the law requires. The rule, explained above, tells you how the Patent Office expects that requirement to be met.
Forms, deadlines and fees
Any official fee connected with this provision is fixed by the First Schedule to the Patents Rules, not by the provision itself. The amount depends on who the applicant is and on whether the filing is made online or on paper, so no figures are reproduced here. How Indian patent fees work.
Related judgments
You will not find case summaries under this heading today. Each one must pass a legal review before it appears, and that work has not been completed for this provision. If you are researching decided cases, use a law report or a court database in the meantime. How case notes are prepared.
Questions people ask about Rule 120
How do I check if someone is a registered patent agent in India?
Use the list of registered patent agents published by the Patent Office, which is what Rule 120 requires the Controller to make available. Search by name and, where possible, confirm the registration number and the recorded address against what the person has told you. If you cannot find them, ask directly for the registration number and check again. A genuine agent will have no difficulty giving it. Do this before signing an authorisation, not after a dispute arises.
Is the published list of patent agents free to access?
The purpose of publication is public verification, and the list is made available through the Patent Office's own channels, including the Official Journal and the official website. You do not need to engage anyone to look it up for you. Bear in mind that the published version reflects the register as it stands, so a very recent registration, removal or restoration may take a little time to appear. If something looks out of date, the office can confirm the current position.
Does the list show which technical field an agent works in?
The published particulars follow what the register carries under Rule 108, which is essentially identifying information rather than a description of practice areas. Technical specialisation is not something the Patent Office certifies. Choose an agent the way you would choose any professional: ask what fields they have worked in, ask to understand their approach to drafting and to examination responses, and confirm who will actually do the work. Registration is the floor, not the ceiling.
Choosing a patent agent you can actually verify?
MYCrave Consultancy works with registered patent agents and will give you the registration details before any authorisation is signed.
You will be speaking with MYCrave Consultancy & Services, the firm that operates this platform. General questions are answered free; matter‑specific work is quoted before anything is done.