Govt cuts IPR filing fees for educational institutions by 80%

In a big boost to the creation of Intellectual Property Rights in the country, commerce and industries minister Piyush Goyal Tuesday announced a major cut in the IPR filing fees from over Rs 4.24 lakhs to nearly Rs 85,000 for all recognised institutions in the government and private sector, writes Krishnanand Tripathi, ETV Bharat

New Delhi: In a big boost to the creation of Intellectual Property Rights in the country, commerce and industries minister Piyush Goyal Tuesday announced a major cut in the IPR filing fees from over Rs 4.24 lakhs to nearly Rs 85,000 for all recognised institutions in government and private sector. Recognised institutions located outside India will also be eligible for fees reduction for IPR filings.

In addition to this, Goyal also announced a 10% rebate in the IPR filing fees if an applicant files the application online. The government will also train 10 lakh students in IPR related matters in the next year through the office of CGPDTM, the Intellectual Property Office. "Intellectual Property Rights actually translates into India's progress in real-time and extends Intellectual Property Right to India's Prosperity Right. We must aim to make India the Design hub of the World," said the minister.

Intellectual Property Rights include trademarks, patents related to scientific, industrial and commercial discoveries and innovations, copyrights of literary and artistic work, among other things. Protection of copyrights and trademarks is essential for a modern economy and it also shows the scientific, academic and commercial strength of a nation. Goyal said with the new policies India can become an innovation powerhouse of the world. "Intellectual Property Rights are the key for the success of Start-up India, Make in India & Design in India schemes," he added.

A phenomenal increase in IPR creation

According to the latest official data, 28,391 patents were granted in the last financial year (FY 2020-21) as against just 4,227 patents registered during 2013-14, the last year of the previous UPA government. The latest statistics also reveal that the country has registered a sharp jump in registration of another important commercial intellectual property right, the trademark, as the country registered nearly 30% more trademarks in just four years (2016-2020) than what was registered in 75 years.

Between 2016-20, 14.2 lakh trademarks were registered as against a total of 11 lakh trademarks registered during 1940-2015. India also improved its ranking in Global Innovation Index by 33 notches, from 81st in 2015-16 to 48th position in 2020. "We must all work in a mission mode to achieve the ambitious target of being in the top 25 nations of the Global Innovation Index," said the minister.

Time-bound IPR registration

Goyal said that IPR filing procedures have been made more compact, time-bound, user-friendly and compatible with e-transactions and online payments. He said that a comprehensive e-filing facility, electronic processing of patents and trademarks applications, are bringing transparency and ensuring ease of access for the IPR seekers. Official data showed that the time taken for a patent examination has come down from 72 months in December 2016 to just 12-24 months in December last year.