Patents Act, 1970
106. Power of court to grant relief in cases of groundless
threats 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 communications, oral or in writing addressed
to that or any other person, with proceedings for infringement of a patent, any
person aggrieved thereby may bring a suit against him praying for the following
relief’s, that is to say-
(a) a declaration to the effect that the
threats are unjustifiable;
(b) an injunction against the continuance of
the threats; and
(c) such damages, if any, as he has sustained
thereby.
(2) Unless in such suit the defendant proves that the acts in
respect of which the proceedings were threatened constitute or, if done, would
constitute, an infringement of a patent or of rights arising from the
publication of a complete specification in respect of a claim of the
specification not shown by the plaintiff to be invalid, the court may grant to
the plaintiff all or any of the relief’s prayed for.
Explanation : A mere notification d the existence of a
patent does not constitute a threat of proceeding within the meaning of this
section.