India witnesses 44% surge in IP filings over 5 years

New Delhi [India], July 22 : Intellectual Property (IP) filings in the last five years have increased by 44 per cent, rising from 4,77,533 in 2020-21 to 6,89,991 in 2024-25, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The highest growth was observed in Geographical Indications (GI) with a 380 per cent increase, followed by Designs (266 per cent), Patents (180 per cent), Copyright (83 per cent), Trademarks (28 per cent), and Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Designs (SICLD) with a 20 per cent rise.

IP refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, and symbols used in commerce. These creations are protected by law, often through patents, copyrights, and trademarks, granting creators exclusive rights over their work and allowing them to benefit financially from their creations.

IP laws and rules have been amended to streamline and simplify the processing of IP applications, eliminate irregularities and bottlenecks, enhance the use of IT and digital technologies, the statement said.

The Indian government has undertaken a several measures to overhaul Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) ecosystem. The aim is to enhance efficiency, reduce compliance burden, and support innovation, especially among startups, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and educational institutions. In the area of patents, timelines have been streamlined, and electronic submission of documents by patent agents has been made mandatory. Applicants now receive a 10 per cent fee reduction for online filings.

Key procedural reforms include the simplification of filing requirements for priority documents and Form 27 (statement on the working of patents), and the reduction of the request-for-examination period from 48 months to 31 months to expedite processing, it said.

The frequency of filing working statements has been eased from annually to once every three years, while foreign filing details requirements have been relaxed.

According to the Ministry, significant fee concessions have been given to Startups, MSMEs, and Educational Institutions.

Centre has reduced 80 per cent fee in patents for startups, MSMEs, and Educational Institutions; 75 per cent fee reduction has beeen made in Designs for startups, and MSMEs; and a 50 per cent fee reduction for trade marks filing for Startups and MSMEs.

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