“India has joined the race and has strengthened its participation in the International patent system,” said Francis Gurry, Director General of WIPO.
2,013 PCT applications were filed by India in 2018 which is 27.2% more than the previous year, but way below in numbers when compared to China and US. But the good news is that India is eventually catching up with the pace and is in the process of nurturing innovation.
Gurry commented on India’s performance and said: “India’s performance in Internationalization of patent activity is impressive”.
Asia-based innovators filed more than half of all international patent applications via WIPO in 2018. India too has shown remarkable growth.
“Asia is now the majority filer of international patent applications via WIPO, which is an important milestone for that economically dynamic region and underscores the historical-geographical shift of innovative activity from west to east,” Francis Gurry said in a press statement. More than half of all PCT applications filed in 2018 came from Asia 50.5%, which only depicts that Asia is slowly catching up with the pace of innovation with global players like Europe and North America.
According to the figures released by WIPO, a total number of 2, 53,000 PCT applications were filed in 2018 which is 3.9% more than the previous year. Surprisingly 0.9% fewer PCT applications were filed by the US in 2018. Another interesting fact to note here is that China and India were the only two middle-income countries among the top 15 origins of PCT applications.
It is a matter of immense pride to see India (+27.2%) catching up with the global innovation trends and has recorded double-digit annual growth among the top 15 origins. This landmark is achieved at a time when there is a decrease in patent filings from the top global players like the US (-0.9%) and France (-1.2%).
WIPO said that it expects applications from China to surpass those from the U.S. within the next two years based on current trends.
Nirsan Connect Pvt Limited and the Indian Institute of Technology were among the topmost applicants from India. Nirsan Connect Private Limited secured 21st rank among the top PCT Applicants by filing 42 applications in 2018, whereas among educational institutions Indian Institute of Technology filed 48 applications in 2018.
It is pertinent to note here that the PCT system offers patent protection internationally. A PCT application can be filed by anyone who is a member of PCT contracting states. PCT filing protects the inventions in 152 contracting states, India being one of them.
Patent filings are seen as a measure of the spread of science and technology in a country. Patent protection also provides monopoly rights to the inventor. This exemplary performance of India is sure to set the record straight about India’s innovation capabilities globally, that India is in it to win it. It is extremely motivating to see India steadily pacing towards transformation steered by innovation.
Further, you may also be interested in reading the following post:
Analyzing Indian IP Trends
Highlights of Patent Annual Report & Trends
Differing Trends In Trademarks Over The Years
Emerging Trends in Digital Copyright Law India
