Patent Filings: Significant increase in patent filings by startups, educational institutions

Concessions give impetus to submitting patent applications by educational institutes and SMEs

Bengaluru: The city has witnessed a significant growth trend Patent applications By startupssmall business entities and educational institutions over the past few years, largely attributed to government initiatives to promote innovation and intellectual property rights – most notably fee relief.
Patent applications in all three categories saw triple-digit percentage increases in 2023-2024 compared to the years preceding the granting of the license. According to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, 75% fee relief at each stage of the processing of industrial design applications, the extension applies to start-ups and SMEs, and 50% applies to trademark applications.
The most striking increase is seen in patent applications filed by Indian educational institutions. Following the introduction of fee concessions in September 2021, the number of applications has increased dramatically from 7,405 in 2021-22 to a whopping 23,306 in 2023-24. Foreign educational institutions have also shown increased engagement, with the number of applications increasing from 96 in 2021-22 to 237 in 2023-24.
According to the ministry, the National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission (NIPAM) was launched in December 2021 with the aim of providing IP Awareness and basic training in educational institutions across the country also had a significant impact. “As a result, more than 2 million people have been trained in intellectual property rights,” the statement said.
Indian startups have shown a steady increase in patent applications, with the number increasing from 801 in 2018-19 to 2,546 in 2023-24. Applications by foreign startups have remained relatively stable, with 25 applications in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Highlighting that the Startup Intellectual Property Protection Facilitation Programme (SIPP), which supports startups in securing their intellectual property rights (patents, trademarks and designs), provides free facilitation by government-appointed IP experts and facilitation fees of IP experts to be borne by the government, the ministry said, “… There has been a significant increase in the number of IP applications filed by startups after the programme.” There has been a sharp increase in the number of applications filed by small Indian entities, which increased from 607 in 2018-19 to 3,421 in 2023-24. The number of applications filed by small foreign entities has fluctuated, peaking at 429 in 2022-23 and then declining to 128 in 2023-24.
Separate data shows that the Indian patent office granted an unprecedented 100,000 patents in the fiscal year 2023-24.
“To cope with the backlog of applications, the number of technical staff in the patent office was increased by promoting various officials to the positions of patent office controllers, and junior specialists and technical assistants were also hired on a contractual basis to support controllers in decision-making,” the ministry added.