73,000 pending requests for examination of patent applications

The government today said about 73,000 requests for examination of patent applications are pending with the Indian Patent Office.

"For addressing the shortage of examiners of patents and designs in the Patent Office, the government has created 200 posts of examiners under the 11th Five-Year Plan scheme for modernisation and strengthening of intellectual property offices," Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jyotiraditya Scindia told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

The government has initiated a recruitment drive to fill these posts, along with 57 other vacant posts, he added.

In 2008-09, the number of patent applications filed was 36,812, compared to 35,218 applications in 2007-08, due to the global economic downturn.
    
Out of the four patent offices in India, the maximum number of applications during 2008-09 were filed in Delhi (12,538), followed by Chennai (10,481), Kolkata (5,779) and Mumbai (5,699).
    
There are four patent offices in India, which are based in Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai.