GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1387
TO BE ANSWERED ON 12-03-2008

INDIAN INSTITUTES SUBMITTING APPLICATION FOR PATENTS

1387.SHRI RAJ MOHINDER SINGH MAJITHA:
SHRI RAM JETHMALANI:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that Indian Institutes submit their applications for patent at International level;
(b) if so, the number of applications submitted by Indian Institutes at International level during the years 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07; and
(c) the number of applications sanctioned in each of the above years?

ANSWER

MINISTER FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTER OF EARTH SCIENCES
(KAPIL SIBAL)

(a) Yes, Sir.

(b) Indian institutes which include academic institutions, R&D institutions such as CSIR and government departments, but not industries and companies, do submit their applications for patent at international level. The two most important offices where such applications are filed are - World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) route and US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). As per the published database of WIPO (www.wipo.int), numbers of patent applications filed by Indian institutes during 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 at WIPO were 139, 76, 78, 52 respectively. As per the published database of USPTO, the number of applications filed at USPTO during 2004, 2005 and 2006 were 106, 37 and 40 respectively.

(c) As per the published database of USPTO, numbers of patents granted by USPTO to Indian institutes during 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 were 142, 131, 135 and 106 respectively.