What is a provisional patent application and why you should file it?

A provisional patent application in India is generally used to secure an early priority date for an invention. The main advantage of filing a provisional patent application is that an applicant (or inventor) need not spend extensive time and money on drafting it and getting it filed. As an applicant, you can just describe your invention's subject matter into a readable format and file it promptly. There are no hard and fast rules to how the provisional application should be written unlike it's more extensive partner, a non-provisional patent application. Patent law in India and across many jurisdictions allows this facility so that patent applicants do not loose out on getting an early priority date by getting confused in the intricacies of writing a non-provisional patent application. Post filing the provisional application and securing a priority date, an applicant needs to mandatorily file a non-provisional patent application (complete specification) within 1 year from th