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
| Name | Number 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 |
| Year | Natural person | Start-ups | Small entities | Other than natural persons | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian | Foreign | Indian | Foreign | Indian | Foreign | Indian | Foreign | ||
| 2016-2017 | 5,918 | 1,622 | 160 | 3 | 412 | 120 | 6,729 | 30,480 | 45,444 |
| 2017-2018 | 6,811 | 1,444 | 511 | 4 | 491 | 131 | 7,737 | 30,725 | 47,854 |
Top five Indian applicants for patents from scientific and R&D organisations
| Name | Applications filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Council of Scientific and Industrial Research | 176 |
| 2 | Defence Research and Development Organisation | 126 |
| 3 | GHR Labs and Research Centre | 57 |
| 4 | Indian Council of Agricultural Research | 37 |
| 5 | L&T Technology Services Limited | 19 |
Top five Indian applicants for patents from institutes and universities
| Name | Applications filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indian Institute of Technology (collectively) | 540 |
| 2 | Amity University | 119 |
| 3 | Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha University | 118 |
| 4 | SRM University | 81 |
| 5 | Bharath University | 66 |
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.