NRIs filed 78% of patent applications in India

NEW DELHI: India registered the third highest rate for patent filings by non-residents at 78% of the total applications, ahead of China at 18%, Japan at 16% and the US at 50%, the latest data from the Indian patent office showed. Canada and Brazil topped the list with 86.6% and 84%, respectively.

Officials said this is an indicator of lack of awareness amongst the domestic industry as well as individuals about benefits from intellectual property and how to enforce the same for wealth creation. “Intellectual property rights (IPRs) are now not only being used as a tool to protect creativity and generate revenue but also to build strategic alliances for socio-economic and technological growth,“ the controller general of patents, designs & trade marks, Chaitanya Prasad said.

During 2012, non-residents filed 78.3% of the total 43,995 patent applications filed in India, whereas in China, which otherwise received the largest number of patent applications at 6,52,777, the filings by nonresidents stood at just 18%.

Data also shows that patent filings in India have significantly increased over the past few years. This is despite rise in litigations and stringent patent norms implemented here, mainly for medicines. A total of 35,218 patent applications were filed in 2007-08, whereas 42,953 were filed in 2013-14.

Experts say pharmaceutical and information technology companies in India need to be conscious of intellectual property . “The domestic industry is going to be affected in the next 15-20 years due to patent related issues,“ said a leading patent and trademark attorney .

According to Prasad, protection of patent rights not only promotes innovation but also brings in more funding for research and help in developing new markets.

According to Narendra Sabharwal, former deputy director general, World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) & Chairman, FICCI IPR committee, knowledge has become a more important factor of production than conventional methods.This is backed by the fact that knowledge-based industries contribute 30% of global GDP, Sabharwal said.

Meanwhile, the commerce ministry is also working to formulate a new policy on IP rights.