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Patent filings by MSMEs jump 28% in FY23 amid govt measures to enhance IPR awareness

Patents filed by MSMEs: In a sign of growing awareness around intellectual property rights (IPR) among MSMEs in India, the number of patent applications filed in the financial year 2022-23 jumped 28.4 per cent from the previous fiscal. According to the data shared in the Lok Sabha in a written reply to a question by Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Minister of State in the MSME Ministry, 1,758 patent applications were filed by MSMEs in FY23 in comparison to 1,369 filed in FY22. As of July 24, in the current financial year, 756 applications were filed. 

“Government of India has taken several steps to create awareness about intellectual property rights among MSMEs in the country. DPIIT has conducted 54 awareness programmes during the past three years. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has conducted 84 awareness programmes/seminars including 2 international workshops till date,” said Verma in his response. 

“Ministry of MSME has also conducted 40 awareness programmes, 1 National Level Workshop, 10 IP Yatra, 13 programmes (on World IP day) under IPR component of MSME innovative Scheme,” he added. 

Importantly, the ministry had last year launched an MSME Innovative Scheme with the combination of existing sub-schemes around incubation, design, and intellectual property rights (IPR) for MSMEs. With the three components of incubation, design, and IPR, the scheme intends to foster innovation across the entire value chain, spanning from idea generation to the realization of innovative applications, by facilitating incubation and design interventions. 

Particularly for patents, the IPR component provides legal and intellectual property filing support including patents, trademarks, copyrights, designs, geographical indications, etc. The programme also provides IP advisory, consultation, patentability searches, technology gap analyses and IP commercialisation through the establishment of Intellectual Property Facilitation Centres (IPFCs) across the country, according to the scheme’s details. 

Meanwhile, India was positioned 42nd out of 55 countries in the US Chamber of Commerce’s International IP Index report, FE reported in February this year. The Index evaluates the protection of IP rights in 55 of the world’s leading economies, together representing around 90 per cent of global GDP and covers everything including patent and copyright laws to the ability to monetise IP assets and the ratification of international agreements.