About 79k patent applications lying with govt

About 79,000 applications are pending before the government for grant of patents, with mechanical engineering and chemicals segment accounting for nearly a third of the requests, Parliament was informed today.

The government has created 200 posts for examining the applications to expedite the work on patent requests.

"As on 30th June, 78,792 patent applications...Are pending with the Indian Patent Office," Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

The requests are pending mainly due to the considerable increase in the number of patent applications filed with the office after 2003-04, he said.

"In order to dispose of the pending requests for examination, the government has created 200 new posts of Examiners of patents and designs...," Sharma said.

In the mechanical engineering segment 14,134 patent applications were pending, followed by chemicals segment (11,633), electronics (8,192), communication (6,507) and pharmaceuticals (6,322).