Under Section 76 of the Patents Act, 1970, an officer or employee of the Patent Office shall not:

Section 76 says an officer or employee shall not, "except when required or authorised by this Act or under a direction in writing of the Central Government or the Controller or by order of a court", furnish information on a matter dealt with under the Act, prepare or assist in preparing a document to be lodged in the patent office, or "conduct a search in the records of the patent office". Each of the three activities is barred, subject to the same exceptions.