India Marks a Significant Achievement in IP Economy with Over One Lakh Patents Granted in a Year
In an impressive stride towards fostering an intellectual property (IP)-driven economy, India has witnessed a landmark achievement. The country’s IP authorities, for the first time, have granted over one lakh patents within a single year, marking a significant milestone in India’s IP landscape.
The Controller General of Patents, Trademarks, Designs, and GIs, the helm of India’s IP authority, has officially granted 1,01,311 patents in the duration from March 15, 2023, to March 14, 2024. This is a substantial leap from the preceding fiscal year ‘FY23’, where the number of patents granted stood at just 34,134.
The surge in patents granted is reflective of a broader trend of increased innovation and awareness of IP rights among companies, universities, and individuals across the nation. As a testament to this growing interest, the authorities have also reported receiving the highest ever number of patent applications to date, tallying up to 90,300 between March 15, 2023, and March 14, 2024, showing a considerable increase from 82,811 for FY23.
In addition, applications across all forms of IPs, including patents, copyrights, and trademarks have seen a rise in India. The total patent applications witnessed a growth of 24% from 2021-22 to 2022-23 and grew further by 9% in 2023-24. The burgeoning semiconductor ecosystem in India has also influenced the spike in applications filed for the protection of Semiconductor Integration Layout Designs (SCILD), escalating from a single application in 2021-22 to eight in 2022-23.
Adheesh Nargolkar, an IP law attorney and partner at Khaitan & Co, highlighted the substantial increase in patent applications, both domestically and internationally, from India over the last year. He noted, “Besides companies and universities, even new-age startups are part of this action, and these applications cut across technologies. There has also been a concerted effort from the authorities to streamline processes and increase the number of patent examiners to expedite the patent granting process.”
Amidst a year of economic uncertainties, the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s (WIPO’s) Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system witnessed a 2% decline in filings, marking its first dip in 14 years. Contrarily, India stood out as one of the few countries to record growth in international PCT applications, with Indian innovators filing 44.6% more applications in CY 2023 at 3,791 than in the previous year. Despite the increase, India still remains a small part of the PCT community, ranking 11th worldwide.
The leading PCT filers from India in FY 2022-23 included TVS Motor Company, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, and the collective institutions of the Indian Institute of Technology (IITs).
An enthusiastic embrace of IP innovation was seen at IIT-Madras, where Manu Santhanam, the dean of Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research, reported a substantial rise in patent applications. “IIT-M filed more than one patent application per day in FY24, closing the year at 378 (293 Indian, 85 international) applications,” he said, indicating a 62% increase from the total applications in FY23.
This remarkable achievement not only reflects the growing culture of innovation and IP in India but also positions the country as a burgeoning leader in the global IP economy. With concerted efforts towards enhancing IP awareness and streamlining patent granting processes, India’s intellectual property landscape is poised for even greater achievements in the years to come.
