India Updates Patent Norms to Embrace AI, Blockchain, Emerging Tech: CGPDTM Issues Revised CRI Guidelines 2025

New Delhi, July 30: In a landmark move aimed at modernising India’s patent ecosystem, the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks (CGPDTM) has released the Revised Guidelines for Examination of Computer Related Inventions (CRIs), 2025. The updated framework addresses patentability standards for technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Blockchain, Cloud and Quantum Computing, providing much-needed clarity to innovators and stakeholders.

Described as a significant step towards transparency, uniformity, and innovation in the intellectual property regime, the guidelines aim to streamline the evaluation of CRIs under Section 3(k) of the Indian Patents Act, which deals with exclusions to patentable subject matter.

According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the revised guidelines incorporate several enhancements:

• A dedicated chapter on jurisprudence for CRIs.
• A step-by-step assessment methodology under Section 3(k), supplemented by illustrative examples and flowcharts.
• A detailed chapter covering emerging technologies such as AI, ML, Deep Learning, Blockchain, and Quantum Computing, with guidance on disclosure requirements and how certain aspects may fall outside exclusion clauses.
• A comprehensive annexure providing 60 examples (20 in the main body and 40 additional) illustrating allowable and non-allowable claims under Section 3(k).

The updated guidelines follow a robust stakeholder consultation process. The Draft Guidelines (Version 1.0) were published on March 25, 2025, with subsequent consultations held across Patent Office locations in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai. Feedback gathered from this process informed the Revised Draft Guidelines (Version 2.0), released on June 26, 2025, and culminated in the final notified document.

Controller General Prof. (Dr.) Unnat P. Pandit stated that these guidelines will serve as a crucial reference tool for patent applicants, agents, and IPO officials. “The revised framework is tailored to support innovations in disruptive technologies and bring consistency in how CRIs are evaluated across cases,” he said.

The final guidelines, along with stakeholder feedback summaries and consultation records, have been made publicly available on the IP India website (www.ipindia.gov.in).

The move is expected to position India’s intellectual property regime in closer alignment with international best practices, encouraging homegrown innovation and bolstering the nation’s stature as a global innovation hub.