Patent law provides exclusive rights to inventors for a limited period of time in exchange for publicly disclosing their inventions. India's patent law has evolved over time from the first patent law in 1856 to the modern law of 1970 which was amended in 1999 and 2005. The law provides for both product and process patents with a term of 20 years. It includes safeguards for compulsory licensing and parallel imports to ensure availability of medicines. The patent office has been modernized with increased examiners and IT systems to improve patent administration.
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