Intellectual Property (IP) rights, particularly patents, are gaining traction as innovation drives the economy, with a significant surge in patents filed in India led by the deep-tech sector, according to a recent study.
It said that Tamil Nadu filed the maximum number of patents during FY23. Industry body Nasscom on Friday released the seventh edition of its annual 'Patenting Trends in India' study, highlighting approaches to fostering an IP-led digital economy.
The study sourced insights from annual reports of WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) and Intellectual Property India, among others.
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According to the report, 83,000 patents were filed in India in FY2023, marking the highest surge of 24.6 per cent in the last two decades. The share of patents filed by women in India grew to 11.6 per cent in FY2022 from 10.2 per cent a year ago.
With 9.3 per cent of total patent filings during FY23, Tamil Nadu surpassed Maharashtra (contributing 6.8 per cent) to take the top rank.
Subsidies by the government for IP registrations for startups and MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), facilitation centres, strong research and development ecosystem, literacy and an increased number of PhD scholars were named as some key drivers behind Tamil Nadu's top position.
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The number of patents granted also witnessed a significant growth rising over two times between FY2019 and FY2023, it said. Nasscom anticipated the trend to increase significantly on account of over 1,00,000 patents granted between March 2023 and March 2024.
Over the past decade, the proportion of patents filed by residents (primary filers based in India) has almost doubled, climbing from 33.6 per cent of total filings in fiscal year 2019 to more than 50 per cent in FY23.
"This significant increase reflects a growing focus and heightened awareness of intellectual property rights in the country. Educational institutes have been a key driver to this growth," Nasscom said.
The study highlighted the gathering steam around innovation in technology in India with major Indian deep-tech startups filing 922 patents since 2008.
"... India's emphasis on innovation is burgeoning. The filing of over 900 patents since 2008 by leading Indian deep-tech startups coupled with the submission of 32K Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications in India by other countries stood as a testament to this increasing focus," it said.
The report noted that the Chennai patent office accounts for nearly 70 per cent of the India-origin filings by deep-tech start-ups as 25-30 per cent of these are based out of Bengaluru. The majority of these are in the AI and healthcare space, it said. After India, the US has been the key country of origin for patents across major deep-tech start-ups in India.
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Further, the report said India's share in patents filed globally is just above 2 per cent, which implies the need for more focused initiatives in this direction.
"The surge in patent filings within the last few years is a clear indication of India's growing innovation prowess, particularly in areas like artificial intelligence. To further enhance domestic patent activity, collaborations among key stakeholders are essential for fostering and increasing awareness of intellectual property rights," Nasscom president Debjani Ghosh said.
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