In April 2021 the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) was dissolved, 18 years after its establishment, and the Tribunal Reform Bill came into life. The IPAB was seen by many as superfluous because of its inefficiency; the government cited staff shortages as one of the reasons for this situation. Officials...

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In April 2021 the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) was dissolved, 18 years after its establishment, and the Tribunal Reform Bill came into life. The IPAB was seen by many as superfluous because of its inefficiency; the government cited staff shortages as one of the reasons for this situation. Officials hope that the abolishment will decrease the strain on the economy. The appeals to the Controller of Patent’s decisions will now be handled by the High Courts. The IPAB was not the only victim of the Ordinance, seven others with a high number of pending cases – such as the Airports Appellate Tribunal and the Plant Varieties Protection Appellate Tribunal – shared its fate. Despite the pandemic, the general filing trend is upwards: in 2020/21, 58,502 patents were filed and 28,391 were granted. In the Global Innovation Index 2021, India rose two spots, to 46th place.

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