The Indian government has announced plans to appoint 250 additional patent examiners by April 2012 to expedite the approval process for the grant of patents. The additional staff will take the total number of examiners across India up to 400.
“By 2015-16, we will be able to examine a patent in one year,” PH Kurian, the controller general of patents, designs and trademarks and geographical indications, told the Press Trust of India. “We would like to bring down the duration of the entire process, from filing of application to the approval, to nearly one year. Currently, in some instances, the time taken is nearly 36 months.”
Lawyers and IP rights owners alike have criticized the trademark and patent offices in India for their inefficiencies in handling IP filing and protection procedures. The shortage of human resources has been highlighted as a serious impediment, not just because of low numbers of examiners, but also due to inadequate training.
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