CHENNAI: The patent office in Chennai is looking forward to increasing the number of patents in emerging fields such as electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and green technologies. Joint controller of patents and designs S Thangapandian said they are planning to ease the procedures in patent filing so that more people could come forward to file patents for their innovations.
Globally, experts are advocating for increased research and development, especially in the emerging critical technologies such as EVs, semiconductors and artificial intelligence which are essential for future economic growth, and also to make sure that the blockade on particular technology does not hinder growth, as is the case with China at present.
The patent office, which is officially called Office of the controller general of Patents, design, trademarks and GI, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is also working to segregate sector-wise data of the intellectual property applications filed and granted in Tamil Nadu to get more insights into the filing trends.
Tamil Nadu tops the country with the most intellectual property applications with 5,206 applications filed, according to the 2020-21 annual report of the Office of the controller general of Patents and design. The state showed a remarkable leap in filing compared to last year, the report read.
“Educational institutions have realised the importance of IP and commercialisation of student projects. Tamil Nadu Council for Science and Technology has established 32 IP centres and other government bodies such as Startup TN and EDII are reaching out to individuals,” S Thangapandian said. He further attributed the success to the IP agency’s outreach to students and researchers and improved transparency.
Chennai publishes more papers and research publications compared to Bengaluru or Mumbai, said Vijay Anand, chief executive of iTNT hub, a state entity working to promote innovation in deep technologies.
Responding to TNIE’s queries, Vijay Anand explained the importance of IP filings.
“There is a 40X gap between top technological companies in the US and Indian startups in terms of revenue per employee (RPE index), the value that those tech companies are able to capture and the difference is the innovation quotient. Innovation gives you pricing power, rather than having to compete on price, which is what makes US tech companies lucrative. If we want to achieve the trillion-dollar vision, improving our RPE is critical, and for that focusing on innovation is mandatory,” he added.