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For the first time in 11 years, the number of patents filed by Indians at the Indian patent office exceeded the patents filed by non-Indian applicants in the quarter ended March 2022, indicating improved innovation climate in the country.
In the January to March period this year, 10,706 patents were filed by Indian applicants, as against 9,090 by non-Indian applicants, according to data by the department of policy for industry and internal trade (DPIIT).
The filing of patents in 2021-22 at 66,440 is over 50% higher compared to 42,763 patents filed in 2014-15. The grant of patents has gone up by five times during this seven year period, from 5,978 in 2014-15 to 30,074 in 2021-22.
The time of patent examination has reduced from 72 months in December 2016 to 5-23 months at present, for different technological areas, DPIIT said in a release on Tuesday.
India’s ranking in Global Innovation Index has increased to 46th in 2021, a jump of 35 places compared to 81st rank in 2015-16. India aims to break into the top 25 countries in the Global Innovation Index.
The key initiatives taken by the government to strengthen India’s IP regime includes fee concessions like 10% rebate on online filing, 80% fee concession for start-ups, small entities and educational institutions, and provisions on expedited examination for start-ups and MSMEs along with other categories.
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