Now, patents may be awarded faster with a bigger team and process in place

The patent application process in India, is expected to see a noticeable improvement with 220 more examiners ready to be inducted into the current team, as per a report in The Indian Express. In other countries, a patent is processed and awarded in three years. However, in India, a patent is awarded anywhere between five and eight years after application.

Kishore Sreenivasan, Director for CSIR-Unit for Research and Development of Information Products (URDIP), said that with the revised norms, the objective is to "bring down the pendency period in processing applications to 18 months after an application has been filed for consideration.” He further added that the awareness and need to file patents is not much right now, however it is gradually catching up nationally. "Patents must be seen as intangible assets that can help enhance business while remaining market-driven,” he said.

A total of 500 examiners are currently working in India in various sectors such as pharmaceuticals and automobiles. The examiners are trained in Intellectual Property (IP), Management, analysis and informatics, and market analysis.

"Of the total applications received, about half the number reach the final review stage. Of this, only 3 to 5 per cent are awarded patents and quality holds key," said RR Hirwani, technical adviser at CSIR URDIP.

Speaking of industries that are experiencing a slow death in terms of patent applications, Sreenivasan says: “For instance, industries like textiles, electronics and metallurgy have matured with time, and hence, reached a stage beyond which growth will be slower from here on.”

Tasked with guiding all the CSIR labs in planning and research, Sreenivasan adds: “For a lot of dead investment, URDIP has taken a lead role in guiding the applicants in filing applications in the most realistic manner.”