"We can clear the patent backlog within next two years"
India moved to the product patent regime - which allowed patents for innovations for a period of 20 years in tune with international norms - in 2005.
- Apr 1, 2017,
- Updated Apr 5, 2017 11:11 AM IST
India moved to the product patent regime - which allowed patents for innovations for a period of 20 years in tune with international norms - in 2005. Patent-related activities surged dramatically as the Indian Patent Law was amended to make it fully compliant with TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights). But the government's poor infrastructure to process and grant patents, thereby causing prolonged delays - as long as seven years, in some cases - has been a subject of criticism. O.P. Gupta, India's Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks, tells P.B. Jayakumar about his mission to streamline the processes and protocols in order to bring Indian patent offices on a par with international standards by 2018. Edited excerpts:
India moved to the product patent regime - which allowed patents for innovations for a period of 20 years in tune with international norms - in 2005. Patent-related activities surged dramatically as the Indian Patent Law was amended to make it fully compliant with TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights). But the government's poor infrastructure to process and grant patents, thereby causing prolonged delays - as long as seven years, in some cases - has been a subject of criticism. O.P. Gupta, India's Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks, tells P.B. Jayakumar about his mission to streamline the processes and protocols in order to bring Indian patent offices on a par with international standards by 2018. Edited excerpts: