Filing of patent applications in India rose 30.2 per cent to 1,43,729 in 2025-26 from 1,10,375 in the previous fiscal, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Sunday, attributing the increase to steps taken to strengthen the intellectual property rights ecosystem.India is currently the world’s sixth-largest patent filer.“Our patent filings soared to a historic 1.43 lakh+ in FY 2025-26, marking a 30.2 per cent increase over last year. With over 69 per cent of patents filed domestically, led by innovators from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, we are showing the world that Made in India is powered by Invented in India,” Goyal said in a social media post.Patent filings have been on a steady rise since 2016-17, when they stood at 45,444. The number increased to 47,894 in 2017-18, 50,660 in 2018-19, 56,268 in 2019-20, 58,503 in 2020-21, 66,440 in 2021-22, 82,208 in 2022-23, and 92,163 in 2023-24.The government has undertaken several measures to strengthen the patent ecosystem, particularly for startups, MSMEs and educational institutions.These include reduction in fees for startups, small entities and educational institutions, expedited examination of applications, and pro bono facilitation for Indian startups in filing and processing patent, trademark and design applications.Patent applications are granted only after substantive examination to ensure compliance with requirements such as novelty, inventive step and industrial applicability under the Patents Act, 1970.The examination follows a two-tier system, where applications are first examined and then reviewed by the controller.The Act also provides for pre-grant opposition by any person and post-grant opposition by any interested party, ensuring that only genuine and quality patents are granted.
