India has, for the first time, has been ranked 6th in the world for global patent filings in 2023. According to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) annual World Intellectual Property Indicators Report 2024, released on 7 November 2024, global patent filing increased by 15.7 % in 2023, primarily due to a strong increase in patent filing in India.

More than 35 lakh patents were filed in 2023 across the world.

Strong Growth in Patent Filing in India

According to the WIPO report, the number of patents filed in India in 2023 was 64,480.
The country's growth rate in patent filing was 15.7 % compared to 2022.
The patent filing in India has shown the 5th consecutive year of a double-digit growth rate.
For the first time, India was included in the top 10 countries of the world for three main intellectual property (IP) rights: patents, Industrial design applications, and trademark applications.
Patent and industrial design applications more than doubled between 2018 and 2023, and trademark applications increased by 60%.
Among the top 20 origins, India recorded the fastest growth in patent applications in 2023,

Status of Global Patent Filing

According to the World Intellectual Property Indicators Report 2024, more than 35 lakh patents were filed worldwide in 2023.

It was the fourth successive year that global patent filing has shown positive growth.

In 2023, the maximum patent filing was in China (1.64 million), followed by the United States of America (518,364), Japan (414,413), South Korea (287,954), Germany (133,053) and India (64,480).

Asia remains the top spot for patents, accounting for 68.7 per cent, 66.7 per cent, and 69 percent of global patent, trademark, and industrial design filing activity, respectively, in 2023.

China, Japan, and South Korea accounted for around 91 per cent of the total patent filings in 2023 among Asian countries.

China, the Republic of Korea(South Korea), the US, Japan, and India were the main drivers of global growth in 2023.

What is Intellectual Property Rights?

Intellectual Rights refer to the creation of human minds, which do not exist in nature. They include inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, symbols, names, and images used in commerce. Intellectual property Rights are protected by law to prevent their illegal use.

Intellectual property rights include Patents, Copyright, Trademarks, Industrial Designs, Geographical Indications, and Trade Secrets.

Patents refer to the exclusive rights given to an invention by a human being, such as the discovery of medicine.

Copyright refers to creators' rights to their literary and artistic works, such as songs, music, books, etc.

A trademark is a legal term that distinguishes one company’s goods or services from those of others. It could be a symbol, design or name that the company uses on its products.

An industrial design constitutes the ornamental or aesthetic aspect of mass-produced goods.

Geographical indications (GI) are signs used on goods with a specific geographical origin. The goods possess the qualities, reputation, or characteristics that are identified with that place of origin.

Trade secrets are legal rights to confidential information that may be sold or licensed by a company or enterprise.

About WIPO

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) was established in 1967 as a United Nations agency. Its main function is to promote the protection of Intellectual Property rights worldwide.

Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland

Members: 197 countries

Director General: Daren Tang