China top patent filer in 2020, India ranks 13th; IPAB’s future in limbo and more

Industry groups urge government to rethink decision on abolishing IPAB; Nokia and Samsung sign a patent licensing agreement; Intel asked to pay $2.18 billion in patent infringement case; China remains top patent filer in 2020, filings grow despite pandemic; Ricoh joins WIPO GREEN

Indian Patent News

Industry groups urge government to rethink decision on abolishing IPAB

According to The Economic Times, a group of industry associations on intellectual property has asked the government to reconsider its proposal to abolish the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) stating that such a move would be prejudicial to India’s credibility as an IP jurisdiction and lower IP standards in India.

Patent Disputes, Settlements and Licensing news

Nokia and Samsung sign a patent licensing agreement

Nokia and Samsung signed a patent licensing agreement earlier this month which seeks to allow Samsung to utilize Nokia’s patents covering video technology standards. While the terms of the agreement have not been disclosed, this deal surely comes in as a relief to Samsung which has been battling several lawsuits for some time now. Ericson for instance has filed a lawsuit against Samsung in the United States relating to a dispute over royalty payments and patent licenses.

Intel asked to pay $2.18 billion in patent infringement case

A federal jury in Texas has ordered chip making giant, Intel corp. to pay $2.18 billion-dollar in damages to VLSI Technology LLC for allegedly infringing two patents held by VLSI. The patents in question relate to inventions that help increase the power and speed of computer processors. The jury held that there was no “willful infringement” of the patents by Intel but there was certainly “willful blindness” as the company failed to check if it was using someone else’s innovations.

International Patent News

China remains top patent filer in 2020, filings grow despite pandemic

China has emerged has the top patent filer in 2020 by filing 68,720 PCT applications which translates to an increase of about 16.1% from 2019. United States ranked second with a total of 59,230 applications which is about 3% more than the total applications filed in 2019. The top 10 patent filers in 2020 are as follows:

  1. China
  2. USA
  3. Japan
  4. South Korea
  5. Germany
  6. France
  7. United Kingdom
  8. Switzerland
  9. Sweden; and
  10. Netherlands

India ranked 14th on the list and filed 1,914 applications as opposed to 2,047 applications filed in 2019. Italy, Canada and Israel occupied the 11th, 12th and 13th positions respectively, while Australia followed India at the 15th Spot. The full list countries may be accessed here. To access the full report, click here.

Ricoh joins WIPO GREEN

Ricoh Company Ltd., the well-known Japanese multinational imaging and electronics company has announced that it has joined WIPO GREEN as a contributing partner and will be contributing 83 of its environmental technology patents covering two fields: dry washing technology and waste liquid treatment technology.

WIPO GREEN which was launched in 2013 is an international platform, operated by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) of the United Nations, that connects green technology providers and seekers of eco-friendly technology solutions through its marketplace and network.


Authored & Compiled by Gaurav Mishra

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