Patent Applications: Bigger team, faster processing on the cards

“As per the revised norms, the aim is to bring down the pendency period in processing applications to 18 months after an application has been filed for consideration,” Kishore Sreenivasan, Director, CSIR-Unit for Research and Development of Information Products (URDIP), told The Indian Express.

Presently, it is estimated that there are about 500 examiners in the country working on varied domains like pharmaceuticals and automobiles, among others. URDIP is tasked with imparting training to the examiners in Intellectual Property (IP) Management, analysis and informatics, and market analysis. “The awareness and the need for filing patents is miniscule now but it is slowly catching up nationally. Patents must be seen as intangible assets that can help enhance businesses while remaining market-driven,” added Sreenivasan.

While the process of scrutinising applications is a time-consuming task, the larger risk that looms is of technologies or inventions going obsolete in a fast-evolving world. R R Hirwani, technical adviser at CSIR URDIP, said, “Of the total applications received, about half the number reach the final review stage. Of this, only 3-to-5 per cent are awarded patents and quality holds key.”

Among emerging fields are Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics and electronic wearables. Whereas, there are some industries that are dying a slow death. “For instance, industries like textiles, electronics and metallurgy have matured with time and, hence, reached a stage beyond which growth will be slower from here on,” said Sreenivasan.

Of late, URDIP has also been asked to guide all CSIR labs in planning and carrying out meaningful research that can have larger applications. “For a lot of dead investment, URDIP has taken a lead role in guiding the applicants in filing applications in the most realistic manner,” Sreenivasan said.