The Economic Survey 2022 reported on January 31 that India’s standing in the Global Innovation Index has jumped to 35th place, from 46th in 2021.
In terms of patent filings, Indian citizens appear to have surpassed global firms. Indian citizens accounted for 40% of all applicants in 2020-21, up from 20% in 2010-11. According to the report, the number of patents awarded in India increased to 28,391 in 2020-21 from 7,509 in 2010-11. The number of applications for patents submitted in India increased to 58,502 from 39,400 within the same time.
While this is an impressive step forward, the number of patents awarded in India remains less when compared to China, the United States, Japan, and Korea. As per World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the number of patents awarded in China, the United States, Japan, and Korea in 2020 was 5.30 lakh, 3.52 lakh, 1.79 lakh, and 1.35 lakh, respectively.
According to the report, major reasons for fewer patents in India include administrative delays and the system’s complexity. To put these delays into context, the Economic Survey stated that the usual time taken for a final decision in obtaining patents in India is 3.5 years as of 2020, which is much longer than the US, China, Korea, and Japan, which have a time limit of 20.8, 20, 15.8, and 15 months, respectively. However, it has progressed from the previous year, when it stood at 64 months.
According to the Economic Survey, another reason for India’s comparatively low patents compared to the likes of the United States and China is the country’s low investment in research and development (R&D) operations. In 2020, R&D spending in India was estimated to be 0.7 percent of GDP.
