For many, 2019 appeared to be a tumultuous year, legally and politically, while for others it was a year of radical but welcome changes. The view remains divided. Intellectual Property in India however, appears to have had a reasonably good year saving some deeply tragic losses such as that of IP luminary, Prof. Shamnad Basheer.
In this post, we bring to you a recap of the patent statistics from 2019 and a comparison of these numbers with the statistics from 2017 and 2018. The data provided herein is calculated for the respective calendar years (January to December). The data is likely to be significantly different from the data provided in the annual reports of the Indian Patent Office which take into account the financial year of March to April.
PATENTS
A total of 83,226 patent applications were examined in 2019 surpassing the total of 81,406 patent applications examined in 2018. The total number of grants in 2019 also shot up by as much as 68% in comparison to the total number of grants in 2018. The patent office on an average examined and issued 228 first examination reports (FERs) per day. While the pendency of patent applications seems to have most certainly reduced, it remains to be seen whether the number of filings in 2018 and 2019 increased in relation to 2017. It looks like we will have to wait until the annual reports for these years are tabled before the parliament by the patent office.
| Particulars | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Applications published | 45196 | 38961 | 49351 |
| Granted | 12205 | 13813 | 23257 |
| Examined | 53829 | 81406 | 83226 |
INDUSTRIAL DESIGNS
2019 certainly appears to have been a great year for Industrial designs. A total of 14,529 designs were registered in 2019 as compared to 8,037 registrations in 2018, signifying a mammoth increase of about 81% in filings and registrations. Industrial designs have slowly but surely grown in terms of numbers, if one were to look at the data from the past decade. 2019 however has surpassed all previous years by recording a registration of 14,500 designs. We hope that this number will increase similarly in 2020 as awareness on Industrial designs takes the centre stage.
| Particulars | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Total Registrations | 9694 | 8037 | 14529 |
TRADEMARKS
Trademarks are perhaps one of the most notable and well known forms of intellectual property in India. The trademark registry is also perhaps one of the busiest departments under the Office of the CGPDTM. The Trademark registry in 2019 received as many 3,36,000 applications in 2019 which marks an increase of about 8% in comparison to the total number of applications received in 2018. The number of registrations however appear to have dipped by over 13% from 2018 when total registrations hovered around 3.5 lakh! In 2019 about 3 lakh applications were registered.
| Particulars | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Total Number of Trademark Applications Filed | 253,906 | 311,078 | 336,194 |
| Total Number of Trademark Applications Examined | 377,710 | 370,015 | 384,725 |
| Total Number of Trademark Applications Published | 389,428 | 429,440 | 380,922 |
| Total Number of Trademark Applications Registered | 331,669 | 348,556 | 302,816 |
COPYRIGHTS
Copyright filings and registrations have been on the rise over the past three years. While about 18,026 copyright applications were filed in 2018, the number of applications in 2019 increased by over 17.5% totaling to a figure of 21,179 applications. The largest chunk of applications appear to have been filed for literary/ dramatic works and artistic works. While 11,898 applications were filed in respect of literary/ dramatic works about 5,781 applications were filed in respect of artistic works.
| Particulars | August 2017 – December 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Literary/Dramatic Works | 3964 | 9725 | 11898 |
| Artistic Works | 1585 | 4726 | 5781 |
| Musical Works | 133 | 274 | 320 |
| Cinematograph Works | 118 | 309 | 346 |
| Computer Softwares | 602 | 2172 | 1679 |
| Sound Recordings | 1408 | 820 | 1155 |
| Total | 7810 | 18026 | 21179 |
Geographical Indications (G.Is)
2019 was a fantastic year for Geographical indications in India. Based on a manual review of the journals, it appears that about 31 products were registered as G.Is between January 2019 and December 2019. Some notable registrations of 2019 include Coorg Arabica Coffee, Wayanaad Robusta Coffee, Chikmagalur Arabica Coffee, Bababudangiris Arabica Coffee, Araku Valley Arabica Coffee, Odisha Rasagola, and Dindigul Locks among others.
|
Year |
Total No. of New GIs Registered |
Products |
|
2017 |
19 |
1. Applique (Khatwa) Work of Bihar (Logo) 2. Molela Clay Work (Logo) 3. Bardhaman Sitabhog 4. Bardhaman Mihidana 5. Sikki Grass Products of Bihar 6. Sujini Embroidery Work of Bihar (Logo) 7. Blue Pottery of Jaipur (Logo) 8. Kathputlis of Rajasthan (Logo) 9. Udayagiri Wooden Cutlery 10. Pochampally Ikat (Logo) 11. Gobindabhog Rice 12. Durgi Stone Carvings 13. Etikoppaka Toys 14. Tulaipanji Rice 15. Chakhesang Shawls 16. Mahabalipuram Stone Sculpture 17. Banglar Rasogolla 18. Lamphun Brocade Thai Silk 19. Nilambur Teak |
|
2018 |
22 |
1. Bankura Panchmura Terracotta Craft 2. Pokaran Pottery 3. Adilabad Dokra 4. Warangal Durries 5. Allagadda Stone Carving 6. Bhagalpuri Zardalu 7. Katarni Rice 8. Magahi Paan 9. Ghazipur Wall-hanging 10. Varanasi Soft Stone Jali Work 11. Bengal Dokra 12. Bengal Patachitra 13. Purulia Chau Mask 14. Wooden Mask of Kushmandi 15. Madurkathi 16. Jhabua Kadaknath Black Chicken Meat 17. BokaChaul 18. Grana Padano 19. Shahi Litchi of Bihar 20. Sangli Turmeric 21. Pethapur Printing Blocks 22. Silao Khaja |
|
2019 |
31 |
1. Coorg Arabica Coffee 2. Wayanaad Robusta Coffee 3. Chikmagalur Arabica Coffee 4. Araku Valley Arabica Coffee 5. Bababudangiris Arabica Coffee 6. Himachali Kala Zeera 7. Sirsi Supari 8. Himachali Chulli Oil 9. Chunar Balua Patthar 10. Erode Manjal (Erode Turmeric) 11. Marayoor Jaggery (Marayoor Sharkara) 12. Thirubuvanam Silk Sarees 13. Jeera phool 14. Kandhamal Haladi 15. Odisha Rasagola 16. Kodaikanal Malai Poondu 17. Pawndum 18. Ngotekherh 19. Hmaram 20. Palani Panchamirtham 21. Tawlhlohpuan 22. Mizo Puanchei 23. Gulbarga Tur Dal 24. Tirur Betel Leaf 25. Irish Whiskey 26. Khola Chilli 27. Idu Mishmi Textiles 28. Dindigul Locks 29. Kandangi Saree 30. Srivilliputtur Palkova 31. Kaji Nemu |
Statistics compiled by:
- Ms. Vibha Amarnath & Mr. Gaurav Mishra – Patents and Industrial Designs
- Ms. Shreya Chaddha & Ms. Uma T.S – Trademarks
- Ms. Neharika Vhatkar & Ms. Sruthi Sundharesan (Legal Intern) – Copyrights
- Ms. Tanvi Chaturvedi (Legal Intern) – Geographical Indications
