As on 01.03.2017, 247824 patent applications are pending at various stages of disposal, out of which 206836 are pending at the examination stage. Also, 753471 trademark applications are pending at various stages of disposal, out of which 45043 are pending at the examination stage.

The Government has taken various measures to clear the pending applications, namely:

(i)     To address the issue of lack of technical manpower for examination and disposal of patent and Trade Mark applications, available manpower has           been augmented through creation of new posts.

(ii)    Recruitment has been completed for 459 posts of Examiners of Patents and Designs,  of which 396 new appointees have started examination work after undergoing training, in addition to the existing 130 Examiners.

(iii)   Further, 76 new posts of Patent Controllers have also been created.

(iv)  The number of Examiners of Trade Marks and Geographical Indications has  also been augmented through 100 Examiners on contract.

(v)    IP awareness and training programmes are regularly conducted at Rajiv  Gandhi  National Institute of Intellectual Property Management       (RGNIIPM) Nagpur.

(vi)   Patent Rules have been amended and notified on 16.05.2016 to simplify procedures  for disposal of patent applications.  The salient amendments          include:

a)    Provisions have been included for condonation of delay due to war/ natural calamities.

b)    For the first time, refund of fees in certain cases has been permitted, as also  withdrawal of application being permitted without any fees.

c)     Timelines have been imposed to ensure speedy disposal, while the number of  admissible adjournments has been limited

d)     Applications can be transferred electronically from any of the Patent Office  branches to another, utilizing specialized technical manpower more  efficiently.

e)    Expedited Examination is now permitted on certain grounds.

f)     Hearing through video conferencing has been permitted.

(vii)  IPO website has been updated to make it more interactive, informative, user-  friendly  and transparent.

(viii)  In order to facilitate the examination work and optimise the speed and quality  of  examination, number of measures viz., computerised work-flow,  automation and IT   enablement in the functioning has been implemented.

(ix)   The process of registration and renewal of Trademarks has been automated  by  uploading the registration certificate electronically in the electronic   register and   dispatching the same to the applicant’s registered email id.

(x)     A ‘Pre-Hearing Module’ has been devised to ensure that show-cause hearings are not  scheduled except in cases where the office objections cannot be   waived on the basis  of the reply submitted by the applicant and material available on record.

(xi)   The Government has notified the new Trade Mark Rules, 2017 on 6^th March,  2017 to  streamline and simplify the processing of trade mark           applications. Some of the salient features of the new Trade Mark Rules, 2017 are as under:

a)     Number of Trade Mark (TM) Forms has been reduced from 74 to 8.

b)     To promote e-filing of trade mark applications, a 10% rebate is provided for e-  filing of Trade Mark applications vis-à-vis physical filing.

c)     Modalities for determination and maintenance of well-known trade marks have been introduced.

d)     The provisions relating to expedited processing of an application for  registration of a trade mark have been extended right up to registration  stage (hitherto, it was only up to examination stage).

e)     Over all fees have been rationalized by reducing the number of entries in Schedule I from 88 to just 23.

f)      Hearing through video conferencing on request has been introduced.

g)     Number of adjournments in opposition proceedings has been restricted to a  maximum of two by each party, which will help in timely disposal of  matters.

h)     Procedures relating to registration as Registered User of trade marks have also been simplified.

This information was given by the Commerce and Industry Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

Expedited examination and streamlined IP procedures accelerate patent and trademark processing through capacity, IT, and rule reforms. Measures to reduce patent and trademark backlogs combine expanded examiner capacity and training with IT-enabled administrative reforms and procedural amendments. Key changes include electronic transfer of applications, electronic issuance of trademark certificates, a pre-hearing module to limit unnecessary hearings, and regulatory amendments permitting expedited examination, video conferencing hearings, limits on adjournments, fee rationalisation, refunds and withdrawals in specified cases, and provisions for condonation of delay due to war or natural calamities.