Ease of Doing Business for MSMEs: Highlighting the “special care” offered to expedite examination of patents filed by MSMEs, ladies entrepreneurs, and startups, Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDT) informed the Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal about a 4-fold improve in patent and trademark registrations in the previous 5 years. CGPDT officials in a critique meeting with Goyal more than the reforms introduced in examining and granting of patents, styles, copyrights, and trademarks stated the quantity of patents granted has elevated from 6,326 in 2015-16 to 28,391 in 2020-21, when trademark registration has shot up from 65,045 in 2015-16 to 2,55,993 in 2020-21. Further, 4,505 copyrights had been granted in 2015-16 that elevated to 16,402 throughout FY21.
The officials briefed the minister more than how the IP method has been simplified and streamlined along with new timelines for disposal of applications and shift to digital mode to market ease of filing and getting services. For instance, below Trade Mark Rules 74 Forms have been replaced by eight consolidated Forms. Goyal also, noting the 80 per cent reduction in patent filing costs for MSMEs, startups, and ladies entrepreneurs by the division to market innovation, stated with digital emphasis, just about every application is processed on-line from begin to finish, and hearings are carried out on phones.
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The minister recommended CGPDT for more efforts to improve awareness about the geographical indication (GI) tag and its significance. GI tags are used to indicate the geographical origin of the solution and any special high quality or reputation it holds due to the origin. Goyal also asked officials to think about instituting scholarships for students studying Intellectual Property law and engage faculty from renowned institutions on a component-time basis to assist in the patent examination method.
In order to expand and upgrade the network of Technology Centres (Tool Rooms and Technology Development Centres) in the nation intended towards advertising innovation amongst MSMEs, the Ministry of MSME had launched the World Bank-assisted Technology Centre Systems Programme (TCSP) at an estimated Projected price of Rs 2,200 crore last year. “It is expected that the network of TCs/ECs so created will also contribute to strengthen industry- academia linkages in the Country as well as support innovation through the modern facilities, advance technologies like incubation/AR/VR/AI, etc., provided in these Centres,” MSME Ministry had stated in its FY21 annual report.