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Patent offices take a hit
By siliconindia
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Monday, 14 July 2008, 17:52 IST
Mumbai: Indian patent offices despite being understaffed, over the past four years have lost 25 to 30 percent of their examiners. Currently with 120 patent examiners and 70 vacancies, the number of applications filed in the country's four patent offices has increased 300 percent since 2004 and patent grants have risen 150 percent, reported Livemint
In India, private companies are scouting to strengthen their intellectual property capabilities, lure them with better work environment and higher salaries. Tata Motors, Reliance Industries and Hindustan Unilever, as well as information technology and pharma companies, the key patent filers in India, are all hiring these patent examiners for their skill in drafting patent applications and international patent searches.
Moreover, there are other reasons for these examiners to quit the job. A former examiner, who joined a software firm in Bangalore after he quit the Chennai patent office three months ago, blames poor salaries, work pressure and bureaucratic interference for the exits.
The Mumbai patent office with 17 examiners lost three patent examiners in the previous two years and the Chennai patent with 35 examiners had half a dozen recent exits.
While salaries for patent examiners are in the range of 
20, 000- 25,000 per month, with average annual raises of 800-1,000, private companies offer annual pay packages totaling Rs 18- 20 lakh.
In this regard, an official at the department of industrial policy and promotion, the umbrella organization responsible for policy decisions for patent offices in the country said, "The finance ministry, based on our recommendation last year, has approved a scheme for confirming all patent examiners on a permanent basis, along with a 50 percent increase in the annual package in May."
In 2007-08, India's patent offices issued about 11,000 patents, almost double the annual number granted in 2006. The Union ministry of industry and commerce agreed that there is an overload on the patents grant system in India. "The average number of examinations handled by an examiner at Indian patent offices is 100 per annum compared with 50-80 cases in the US and Europe," said a recent report by the government's department of industrial policy and promotion.
20, 000- 25,000 per month, with average annual raises of 800-1,000, private companies offer annual pay packages totaling Rs 18- 20 lakh.
In this regard, an official at the department of industrial policy and promotion, the umbrella organization responsible for policy decisions for patent offices in the country said, "The finance ministry, based on our recommendation last year, has approved a scheme for confirming all patent examiners on a permanent basis, along with a 50 percent increase in the annual package in May."
In 2007-08, India's patent offices issued about 11,000 patents, almost double the annual number granted in 2006. The Union ministry of industry and commerce agreed that there is an overload on the patents grant system in India. "The average number of examinations handled by an examiner at Indian patent offices is 100 per annum compared with 50-80 cases in the US and Europe," said a recent report by the government's department of industrial policy and promotion.
