Highlights from India’s IP office annual report 2017 to 2018

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Patent applications filed at India’s IP office increased by 5.3% during 2017-2018. The number of patent applications examined increased by 108.2% over the previous year, while the volume of granted patents increased by 32.5%.

During 2017-2018, Intellectual Property India earned a total revenue of Rs7.697 billion, experiencing growth of 26%. Total expenditure amounts to Rs1.535 billion. The patent segment accounted for Rs4.77 billion, up from Rs4.1 billion the previous year.

Trends: patent aplications filed

Top 10 applicants for PCT national phase

Applications filed by Indian applicants (by state)

Top 10 foreign resident applicants

 NameNumber of applications

1

Qualcomm Incorporated

960

2

Koninklijke Philips NV

520

3

Philips Lighting Holding BV

217

4

Google LLC

184

5

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

176

6

General Electric Company

142

7

Daimler AG

134

8

Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson

128

9

ABB Schweiz AG

128

10

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd

120

YearNatural personStart-upsSmall entitiesOther than natural personsTotal
 IndianForeignIndianForeignIndianForeignIndianForeign 
2016-20175,9181,62216034121206,72930,48045,444
2017-20186,8111,44451144911317,73730,72547,854

Top five Indian applicants for patents from scientific and R&D organisations

 NameApplications filed
1Council of Scientific and Industrial Research176
2Defence Research and Development Organisation126
3GHR Labs and Research Centre57
4Indian Council of Agricultural Research37
5L&T Technology Services Limited19

Top five Indian applicants for patents from institutes and universities

 NameApplications filed
1Indian Institute of Technology (collectively)540
2Amity University119
3Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha University118
4SRM University81
5Bharath University66

Number of patent applications filed during 2017-2018 by technology area

When it comes to applications by state, Maharashtra once again ranked at the top, growing its filings by 6%. Tamil Nadu held second place, with a 36% spike in filing levels over the course of the year.

Filings on behalf of foreign applicants slightly increased, totalling 32,304 applications. Most international entities sought protection through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) route, representing 26,584 of all applications filed – slightly down on the previous year. The top filers by country via the PCT route are:

  • the United States – 8,619 applications;
  • Japan – 3,537 applications; and
  • Germany – 2,166 applications.

Qualcomm once again featured as the top foreign applicant. A notable appearance on this list is Huawei.

Domestic applicants represented 32.5% of all applications filed. Indian applicants’ activity increased by 18% over the previous period, with 15,550 applications filed. Unsurprisingly, as India has a buzzing entrepreneurial scene, applications filed by start-ups and small entities has gradually increased each year.

Foreign applicants dominate in a number of technology areas, in particular, communication, physics, and polymer science and technology. Indian businesses also excel in a number of other sectors, such as bio-medical and agriculture engineering.

WIPRO Limited beat Tata Consultancy Services as the top applicants in the IT field. The field of IT, consulting and business process services has ramped up patent activity over the past five years. While its home jurisdiction is a key focus (covered under ‘other global’), the company has significantly increased its activity in the United States, as well as through the European Patent Office.

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