Patent Registration In India: It’s Time To Accelerate The Process

Patent registration in India has hitherto been a slow and tardy process with inventors/innovators running from pillar to post for 6-7 years before they are able to secure the seal of registration. Considering that the patent term in India is limited to 20 years from the date of filing of the patent application irrespective of any delay in processing of the application, this significantly reduces the patent term and puts the applicants at a considerable loss. While Indian Patent Office has taken a slew of initiatives to upgrade its technological infrastructure and boost e- filing in the recent past, all the efforts will come to a naught if the registration process is not completed in a time bound manner. In fact, even draft National IPR Policy has recognised this problem and enjoined the Office of CGPDTM, the chief administrator of patents, designs and trademarks in India, to fix and adhere to time lines for grant of registration