For the 1st Time in 11 Yrs, Domestic Patent Filing Surpasses Int'l Patent Filing in India

Filing of patents increases by more than 50% in the last 7 years

Nearly five-fold increase in grant of patents 2021-22 as compared to 2014-15

Shri Piyush Goyal appreciates consistent efforts made by DPIIT to strengthen the IPR regime in India

For the first time in the last 11 years, the number of domestic patent filing has surpassed the number of international patent filing at Indian patent office in the Quarter Jan-Mar 2022 i.e. of the total 19796 patent applications filed, 10706 were filed by Indian applicants against 9090 by non-Indian applicants, said the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, in a press release.

The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry,  Mr. Piyush Goyal appreciated the consistent efforts made by DPIIT on strengthening the IPR regime in India by fostering innovation, and reducing compliance burden. The coordinated effort by DPIIT and IP office has led to increased IP awareness among all strata of society. These efforts have on one hand led to increase in the number of IPR filings, on the other hand has reduced the pendency of patent application at IP offices. 

Filing and Grant of patent applications over the years

He also mentioned that this will take India a step closer to the India’s ambitious target of being in the top 25 nations of Global Innovation Index.

Last year in February, government launched a campaign called KAPILA (Kalam Program for Intellectual Property Literacy and Awareness Campaign) for Intellectual Property Literacy and creating patent awareness among Indian innovators,

Some of the key initiatives taken by the Government over the years that has bolstered India's IP regime includes fee concessions like 10% rebate on online filing, 80% fee concession for Start-ups, Small Entities and educational institutions, and provisions on expedited examination for Startups and MSMEs along with other categories.

Last year in August, Mr. Goyal informed that CY 2020-21 saw 572% growth in patent grants, where in 28,391 patents were granted in 2020-21 as compared to mere 4,227 patent grants during 2013-14. In the following month, the ministry reduced the patent fees for Educational Institutions by 80%.

The cornerstone laid down by National IPR policy and the efforts made by the Government has transpired into the following achievements for India:

• Filing of patents have increased from 42763 in 2014-15 to 66440 in 2021-22, more that 50% increase in a span of 7 years
• Nearly five times increase in grant of patents in 2021-22 (30,074) as compared to 2014-15 (5978)
• Reduction in Time of patent examination from 72 months in Dec 2016 to 5-23 months at present, for different technological areas
• India’s ranking in Global Innovation Index has increased to 46th in 2021 (+35 ranks) as compared to from 81st in 2015-16

India Jumps 5 Places to 52nd Rank in Global Innovation Index 2019

India improved its ranking in the global innovation index by five places to 52nd in 2019 from 57th position in the last year, according to a report released Wednesday. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal released the Global Innovation Index (GII) rankings here.

India's three cities -- Bengaluru, Mumbai and New Delhi, also featured in the world's top 100 science and technology clusters, according to the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2019.

Switzerland retained its number-one spot on the GII rankings. It was followed by Sweden, the US, the Netherlands, the UK, Finland, Denmark, Singapore, Germany and Israel in the top 10 places.

Switzerland retained its number-one spot on the index. Other economies in the top 10 are: Sweden, the US, the Netherlands, the UK, Finland, Denmark, Singapore, Germany and Israel.

The GII is computed by taking a simple average of the scores in two sub-indices, the Innovation Input Index and Innovation Output Index, which are composed of five and two pillars respectively. Each of these pillars describe an attribute of innovation, and comprise up to five indicators, and their score is calculated by the weighted average method.

Notably, in January this year it was for the first time ever that India has made it to Bloomberg’s list of most innovative countries in the world.

According to GII 2019 index, India improved its position the most in certain pillars including labour productivity growth, knowledge and technology outputs, intellectual property related variables. It also witnessed improvement in institutions, human capital and research, and market sophistication indicators.

In Central and South Asia, Iran ranked 61st and Kazakhstan at 79th. Pakistan ranked at 105th.

India remained at the top in the region and moved up to the 4th position in the GII rankings among lower-middle-income economies. India has also outperformed on innovation relative to its GDP per capita for nine years in a row.

"The country confirms its rank among the top 50 economies in two pillars—Market sophistication (33rd) and Knowledge and technology outputs (32nd)—with the latter being the pillar in which India ranks the highest this year," the GII report said.

India also witnessed notable gains in political and operational stability where a new indicator is used this year and in ease of starting a business. It, however, lagged logistics performance and females employed with advanced degrees. "The largest drops are found in logistics performance, females employed with advanced degrees, and printing and other media," the report said.

DPIIT Secretary Ramesh Abhishek said that the government is working to improve its intellectual property rights (IPR) regime. "We are increasing manpower, simplifying procedures and using technology to significantly reduce the time for examination of applications," Abhishek said.

Speaking at the function, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said that the GII shows that countries that prioritise innovation in their policies have seen significant increases in their rankings.

"The rise in the GII by economic powerhouses like China and India have transformed the geography of innovation and this reflects deliberate policy action to promote innovation," he said.

Further the report stated that despite signs of slowing economic growth, innovation continues to blossom, particularly in Asia, but pressures are looming from trade disruptions and protectionism.

"Most top science and technology clusters are in the US, China, and Germany, whlie Brazil, India, Iran, Russia, and Turkey also feature in the top 100 list," it said.

In Global R&D companies, India reached the 15th spot as the second middle-income economy.

"In this pillar, the indicator graduates in science and engineering (7th) remains a relative strength for the country. Thanks to the quality of its top 3 universities— IITs (Delhi and Bombay) and the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, India achieves a relatively strong ranking in the indicator quality of universities (21st)," the report added

The GII ranks 129 economies based on 80 indicators, ranging from intellectual property filing rates to mobile-application creation, education spending and scientific and technical publications. The GII rankings are published annually by Cornell University, INSEAD and the UN World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and GII Knowledge Partners.

Now in its 12th edition, the GII ranks 129 economies based on 80 indicators, ranging from intellectual property filing rates to mobile-application creation, education spending and scientific and technical publications.

India Ranked 60th Most Innovative Country on the Global Innovation Index-2017

India currently ranks 60th out of 127 countries on the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2017 as compared to 66th rank on GII 2016.

The GII 2017 report, co-authored by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University and INSEAD, added that India maintains its top place in Central and Southern Asia, moving up six spots from 66th last year to 60th this year overall. It further said that a group of nations including India, Kenya, and Vietnam are outperforming their development-level peers.

Notably, Switzerland, Sweden and Netherlands are ranked 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively in this year's global innovation index.

India performed well across a number of parameters, coming to the top spot in ICT services exports. It is ranked 10th in category of graduates in science and engineering, 27th on e-participation, 14th on the presence of global research and development companies, 33rd on government’s online service, 32nd in general infrastructure, 18th on creative goods exports, 30th on knowledge impact and 29th on intellectual property payments, news agency PTI reported.

China moves up by three spots in 2017 innovation index, becoming the 22nd most innovative economy in the world after having entered the top 25 in 2016 as the first middle-income economy.

In an another report called Global Entrepreneurship Index 2018, India ranked at 68th place.

In the last ten years that GII has been live, India has had a journey full of ups and down on the list. When the GII was first announced in 2007, India debuted on the list at 41.

India Ranked 60th Most Innovative Country on the Global Innovation Index-2017

India currently ranks 60th out of 127 countries on the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2017 as compared to 66th rank on GII 2016.

The GII 2017 report, co-authored by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University and INSEAD, added that India maintains its top place in Central and Southern Asia, moving up six spots from 66th last year to 60th this year overall. It further said that a group of nations including India, Kenya, and Vietnam are outperforming their development-level peers.

Notably, Switzerland, Sweden and Netherlands are ranked 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively in this year's global innovation index.

India performed well across a number of parameters, coming to the top spot in ICT services exports. It is ranked 10th in category of graduates in science and engineering, 27th on e-participation, 14th on the presence of global research and development companies, 33rd on government’s online service, 32nd in general infrastructure, 18th on creative goods exports, 30th on knowledge impact and 29th on intellectual property payments, news agency PTI reported.

China moves up by three spots in 2017 innovation index, becoming the 22nd most innovative economy in the world after having entered the top 25 in 2016 as the first middle-income economy.

In an another report called Global Entrepreneurship Index 2018, India ranked at 68th place.

In the last ten years that GII has been live, India has had a journey full of ups and down on the list. When the GII was first announced in 2007, India debuted on the list at 41.

India 60th most innovative globally, China at 22nd: Report

In an excellent piece of news coming in, India has once again had an impressive performance on the annual Global Innovation Index (GII). The South Asian country has continued its rise for the second year in succession in the GII rankings and bettered its position from 66th to 60th. In 2016, the country had improved its performance from 81 to 66, after witnessing four consecutive years of decline.

Though the Indian subcontinent is improving its performance, it is still far behind one of its biggest rivals in the technology space, China, which stands at an impressive from 25. China went up three positions from its position in 2016.

India's performance is being attributed to a trend being seen in both middle-income countries and Asian countries, many of which have done some exceptional work in improving their innovation capacities in last couple of years. Further, India has improved its data capture system in recent times, which might have ended up having a major impact on its ranking.

The GII, which is seen as an important benchmark in national competitiveness by several governments around the globe, was developed 10 years ago in 2007 by the business school INSEAD. The index is now developed and executed in partnership by Insead, Cornell University and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

The index, which ranks 127 countries around the world, is often topped by developed countries. For the last seven years, Switzerland has been the most innovative country on the list by acquiring the number one position. United States is surprisingly placed at number four this year.

In the last ten years that GII has been live, India has had a journey full of ups and down on the list. When the GII was first announced in 2007, India debuted on the list at 41. Though the country ranks 60th on the list, but this necessarily doesn't mean that the country performance is worse than its 2007 performance. This is because the GII has had some changes in its parameters over the years, as its inventors have been continuously working on improving the methodology.

It is also important to note that India is home to a large informal sector whose innovations mostly go unrepresented in global rankings, and this must have also happened with GII, which means the country might be innovating at an even better pace that it is being accounted for.