The Indian Patent Office (IPO) published its Annual Report on March 31, 2025 spanning activities from April 2023 to March 2024. The report showcases significant growth in filing of applications, expedited examinations and active international collaboration. This article summarizes the main insights from the year’s patent activity.

Rising Patent Filings

In 2023–24, 92,168 patent applications have been filed, reflecting an increase of 11.3% compared to the previous year. Indian applicants submitted 51,574 applications, making up 55.96% compared to 52.29% in 2022–23. Foreign applicants accounted for 40,594 filings, demonstrating a modest rise of 2.74%.

India’s crossing of the 90,000-application mark is a milestone. But filing volume must be paired with quality. While increased domestic participation shows greater awareness, the next step is to monitor conversion to granted patents, opposition survival, and commercialization.

Regional Trends

Tamil Nadu topped the list of Indian states with 9,565 applications, with Maharashtra and Karnataka following at 7,251 and 6,086 respectively. Additionally, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Telangana showed impressive numbers, highlighting the spread of innovation centers throughout the nation.

While Tamil Nadu leads in raw numbers, Karnataka still outpaces on a per capita basis—suggesting Bengaluru’s ecosystem remains dense and efficient. The rise of Punjab and Telangana indicates that IP-centric initiatives at the state level, such as facilitation centers and subsidy schemes, are beginning to bear fruit. Future reports could benefit from a normalized per-capita and sector-wise analysis to inform regional policymaking.

Who’s Filing: A Look at Applicant Categories

According to Indian Patents Act, Applicants are categorized as: Natural Persons (NP), Startups (SU), Small Entities (SE), Educational Institutions (EI), and Other than natural person (ONP). Key statistics:

• Educational Institutions filed 23,543 applications
• Startups filed 2,546 applications
• Small Entities filed 3,421 domestic applications

The jump in filings by Educational Institutions is promising but calls for scrutiny of patent quality and downstream use. Startups showed better drafting discipline this year, with a drop in median claim count, hinting at better training. To ensure these applications result in enforceable rights, mentorship and tech transfer support must grow in parallel.

Institutional and Corporate Leaders

In corporate, Jio Platforms Ltd. took the lead with a total of 818 filings.  Other significant applicants include Bluest Mettle Solutions, Lovely Professional University, and Jain University. 

Among the research institutes and academic institutions, Chandigarh University Technology Business Incubator was at the forefront with 1,126 filings, while collectively, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) submitted 1,106 applications. Lovely Professional University achieved the highest ranking with 1,418 filings, followed by Jain (Deemed-to-be) University and Chandigarh University.

The emergence of academic incubators as top filers marks a shift in India’s innovation base. However, institutions must bridge the gap between filing and commercialization. Without robust tech transfer offices and licensing mechanisms, the risk is an accumulation of underutilized IP. Linking government grants to commercialization metrics could improve outcomes.

International Filings and Foreign Applicants

The total number of applications filed claiming priority under the Paris Convention during the year was 3508 as compared to 3351 in the previous year, this shows an increase of 4.68% in the number of convention applications. The number of PCT National Phase applications filed during the reporting year was 32,187, which shows an increase of about 0.29% as compared to the previous year’s figure of 32,091.

Amongst top Applicants (country wise) for filing PCT national phase applications; USA took lead with 11,276 applications; followed by Japan (3,797), China (3,490), and South Korea (2,268).

Top Foreign Companies Filing in India: Qualcomm Incorporated filed 3,017 applications, Samsung Electronics filed 1,555 applications. Huawei, Nokia, Apple, and Google also featured in the top 10.

Patent Prosecution and Grant Statistics

During this year, the number of patent applications examined experienced a significant decline as the Patent office examined 18,438 patent applications compared to 49,961 applications examined during the previous year.  However, 126,003 requests for examination were disposed as compared to 60,046 in the previous year, showing an impressive rise of 109.84%. The number of patents granted soared to 103,057, marking a 201.91% increase from the previous year’s total of 34,134. Among these, 25,082 patents were awarded to Indian applicants.

The drop in fresh examinations alongside a massive jump in grants indicates that IPO has cleared a significant backlog. While this boosts overall throughput, it also underscores the need to monitor examination rigour and ensure that quantity does not compromise quality.

Expedited Examination Drives Faster Disposal

Under amended Patent Rules (effective since 2019), the IPO offers expedited examination to: Startups, Small Entities, Female applicants, and Government bodies and publicly funded institutions. 

In 2023–24, 14,941 expedited examination requests were filed; out of which 7,831 applications were disposed of. Most of these applications are granted or concluded within one year, significantly faster than the normal route.

Indian Engagement with the PCT System

The total number of international applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) filed by Indian applicants in the Indian Patent Office as Receiving Office (RO/IN) are 1,209.

India’s outbound PCT filings remain modest relative to its innovation ambitions. Scaling this up is essential for Indian firms aiming to compete globally. Subsidies, training, and institutional IP cells can help first-time filers confidently enter the international patent landscape.

Top PCT Filers from India:

• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
• TVS Motor Company Ltd.
• IIT Madras

Conclusion

The 2023–24 Annual Report shows a patent office that is expanding in scale, embracing digital systems, and drawing participation from new actors across India’s innovation landscape. These numbers deserve recognition—but also reflection. To ensure that filings lead to real impact, the next phase must focus on improving examination consistency, building enforcement infrastructure, and closing gaps in access, awareness, and quality.