Sanjeev Sanyal, a Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, has announced that India is set to significantly increase its annual patent issuance from 35,000 to 100,000 patents within the next 18 months. This move comes as part of ongoing efforts to enhance India’s innovation ecosystem and boost its patent capacity.
Until 2016, India was issuing only around 9,000 patents annually. However, this number has gradually increased to 35,000 patents per year.
Sanyal points out that, while India’s progress is significant, it lags far behind countries like the United States, which issues approximately 350,000 patents annually, and China, which grants around half a million patents per year. He emphasises the need for India to reach a capacity of at least 100,000 patents annually to be more competitive globally.
READ ALSO: ITLF in Manipur Faces Account Withholding
To achieve this goal, India is taking steps to enhance its patent capacity. One significant measure involves hiring approximately 500 new patent officers to streamline and expedite the patent approval process.
Sanyal highlights the importance of process reforms alongside structural reforms. Process reforms involve improving the efficiency and functioning of existing frameworks without completely overhauling them. In his working paper, Sanyal specifically discusses the need for reform in legal metrology laws, which pertain to regulations on weights, measures, labelling, and related matters. He suggests that these laws can be made more clear and consumer-friendly while eliminating unnecessary criminalization.
India’s ambitious plan to increase its annual patent issuance to 100,000 patents within the next 18 months reflects the country’s commitment to fostering innovation and strengthening its intellectual property ecosystem. The hiring of new patent officers and ongoing process reforms are expected to play a pivotal role in achieving this goal, ultimately contributing to India’s position in the global innovation landscape.
