Patents, Startups, Innovations, IPO updates, Automated patent grants, Interesting Patents and Designs, Qualcomm’s fresh lawsuit against Apple, Xiaomi and Nokia patent sharing deal, USPTO’s new director, India – Israel partnership, plant varieties, Patent tip of the week and more weekly news updates, presented by the Patent attorneys and experts of BananaIP Counsels, India’s Premier New Age IP Firm.
Patent Quote of the week
“Patent owners should invest the necessary time and money in preparing and prosecuting patents with greater clarity, so that 10 years from now there will be confidence that those patents will survive any challenges and be examples of high-quality patents.” – Russell Binns, CEO, Allied Security Trust.
Patent Stats from the Indian Patent Office
The stats from the Indian Patent Office this week are extremely promising. A number of applications that have been overdue for publication have been published this week, clearing a substantial backlog. While early publications have risen by a mammoth 162%, ordinary publications have increased by a good 58%. Publications under grant, on the other hand, have decreased by a marginal 7%.
| City | Previous Week | This Week | Percentage of change |
| Delhi | 3 | 26 | 766.67% increase |
| Mumbai | 20 | 31 | 55% increase |
| Chennai | 11 | 21 | 91% increase |
| Kolkata | 0 | 11 | – |
| Total | 34 | 89 | 161.76% increase |
Ordinary Publications
| City | Previous Week | This Week | Percentage of change |
| Delhi | 145 | 348 | 140% increase |
| Mumbai | 88 | 150 | 70.45% increase |
| Chennai | 301 | 349 | 15.95% increase |
| Kolkata | 10 | 12 | 20% increase |
| Total | 544 | 859 | 57.9% increase |
TOTAL PUBLICATIONS (Previous Week): 578
TOTAL PUBLICATIONS (This Week): 948
Percentage difference: 64.01% increase
PUBLICATIONS UNDER GRANT
| City | Previous Week | This Week | Percentage of change |
| Delhi | 91 | 62 | 31.87% increase |
| Mumbai | 24 | 29 | 20.83% increase |
| Chennai | 90 | 93 | 3.33% increase |
| Kolkata | 43 | 47 | 9.3% increase |
| Total | 248 | 231 | 6.85% decrease |
Number of Applications published based on applicant city
A total of 90 applications have been published this week where the applicant is a resident of one of the cities of Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad or Kolkata. The figures are slightly dismal as the total publications from these cities account for a mere 10% of the total publications made this week. 36 applications have been published where the applicant is a resident of Bangalore. This puts the city on the top of the table this week. Chennai has contributed 28 applications which propel the city forward to the second position this week. Delhi and Mumbai have slipped ranks by contributing 10 and 11 applications respectively, while Hyderabad and Kolkata continue to remain at the bottom of the table.
| List of Cities | 1st January 2017 – till date | 30th June 2017 – 7th July 2017 |
| Mumbai | 837 | 11 |
| Bangalore | 618 | 36 |
| Delhi | 470 | 10 |
| Chennai | 301 | 28 |
| Hyderabad | 211 | 2 |
| Kolkata | 95 | 3 |
Total number applications published by the Indian Patent Office since the 1st of January 2017 till 10th July 2017: 13,540
- Early publications: 1,406
- Ordinary Publications:12,134
Total number of patents granted by the Indian Patent Office since the 1st of January 2017 till 10th July 2017: 6,077
- Delhi – 2,694
- Mumbai – 581
- Kolkata – 1,150
- Chennai –1,652
Industrial Designs
Total designs registered this Week: 160
Total designs registered in the previous Week: 156
Percentage Difference: 2.56% increase
IPO Updates
The CGPDTM implements automatic generation and issuance of Patent Certificates
The Indian Patent Office on the 3rd of July 2017 announced that the process relating to generation and issuance of patent certificates has now been fully automated and the patent certificates will now be generated through an automated system and would be transmitted to the applicant concerned or his authorised patent agent on record on his/her email address. The patent certificate shall also be made available on the official website of the patent office along with the status of the application. The certificates can also be downloaded and printed by the applicant.
Interesting Patents and Designs
LG Electronics granted an Indian patent for Ice tray assembly
The South Korean multinational electronics company, LG Electronics Inc. has been recently granted a patent by the Indian Patent Office for an invention titled “Ice Tray Assembly and Refrigerator having same”. The patent application with application number 5288/KOLNP/2008 discloses an ice tray assembly installed in a door of the refrigerator wherein the ice tray assembly allows the water to be supplied from a water container to an ice tray only when the door is closed and hence the water is not spilt from the ice tray when the door is operated.
Exam desk granted design registration
In the design journal published on the 7th of July 2017, an interesting design has been granted registration by the designs office, Kolkata. The design pertains to the design of a desk to be used in exams. The design no. 283654 is titled “Exam Desk” and has been registered under Class 06-03, which pertains to Tables and Similar furniture. The desk is designed in such a way that it provides for two people to sit on the opposite sides of the same desk separated from one another by a partition board. Additionally, two partitions are provided on the side, making the design similar to that of an office cubicle.
Looks like copying in the exams from your smart neighbor may get just a little extra tougher.
Patent disputes
Qualcomm asks for iPhone ban, files patent infringement lawsuit against Apple
Qualcomm has filed two separate legal actions against Apple with both the US International Trade Commission and the US District Court in Southern California. Qualcomm has asked the ITC to ban the entry of new iPhones into the US and ban the selling of iPhones already in the US. Qualcomm has alleged that Apple has violated six of its patents relating to improving the battery life of a smartphone and since none of these patents define a standard of requirement the chip maker is not obliged to license them.
The fresh legal actions have sharply escalated the war between the two technology giants, which began in January this year when Apple filed a lawsuit accusing Qualcomm of abusing its market power to demand unfair royalties.
Patent Licensing, Commercialization
Xiaomi and Nokia ink a major Patent sharing deal
Xiaomi and Nokia in a strategic move have inked a multi-year patent sharing agreement which includes a cross-licensing deal of the company’s cellular Standard Essential Patents. While the financials of the deal have not been disclosed, the agreement for business collaboration and patent licensing between the two companies will help Xiaomi in acquiring key patent assets from Nokia.
Beyond smartphones, Xiaomi is also a leading IoT player and under the agreement, the companies are poised to explore opportunities for further cooperation in areas such as Internet of Things (IoT), augmented and virtual reality and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
International Patent News
USPTO may appoint Andrei Iancu as its next Director
The prestigious position of the Director of USPTO is all set to get a new face. Rumor has it that Andrei Iancu, the managing partner of Irell and Manella LLP is likely to fill in the shoes of current USPTO Director, Michelle Lee.
Icanu has been recognized as a leading individual in the area of intellectual property and patent law by Chambers USA every year since 2007 which makes him an extremely strong contender for the prestigious post at the USPTO. A teacher on advanced patent at UCLA School of Law, his noteworthy work at the firm include settlements between tech companies such TiVo and Verizon, serving counsel to Immersion Corporation against Sony in a patent infringement suit and so on. He is also the recipient of various awards distinguishing him in the field of intellectual property and patent law.
Plant Varieties News
India – Israel partnership enables better technology and new varieties of mango for Indian farmers
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel has proved to be extremely beneficial to Indian Farmers. The Horticulture technology used in Israel is now being adopted in Talala, Gujarat, which would help farmers grow mango trees in the coastal belt. Farmers were earlier unable to grow the mango crops across the coastal belt as the salinity of the soil and sea often caused the loss of sweetness in the fruit. The adoption of the technology has resulted in the creation of two new varieties of Mangoes in India and an overall increase in the production of the Kesar variety of mangoes.
BananaIP’s Patent Tip of the Week
Keep Kalyan’s Patent Filter Model in mind when applying for a patent
A patent is granted to an invention only if it satisfies the patentability requirements. Patentability requirements include patentable subject matter, usefulness, novelty, non-obviousness and specification. The requirements work like filters in tandem. An invention will get a patent only if it passes through all the filters. Analysis of patentability is done, step by step and filter by filter. To get a patent, the invention must pass through all the filters one by one. Grant of a patent is a result of the cumulative effect of all filters.
