Lok Sabha Question No. 2564 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-16
Subject: Pendency in Patent offices
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Ms. Mahua Moitra

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2564. TO BE ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, THE 16 TH  DECEMBER, 2025.

## PENDENCY IN PATENT OFFICES

## 2564.  MS. MAHUA MOITRA:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

be pleased to state: वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री

- (a) the details of the number of patent applications pending for approval, including the average time of pendency and stage-wise processing;
- (b) the details of the average time taken to grant patent applications, sector-wise ;
- (c) the  number  of  sanctioned  posts,  filled  in  posts  and  vacancies  of  patent examiners and controllers; and
- (d) whether any employees have been recruited on a contractual basis, if so, the details thereof the year and post-wise since 2014?

## ANSWER

## वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्य मंत्री ( श्री णिणिन प्रसाद ) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

- (a): The number of patent applications being filed annually have nearly doubled over the last 5 years on account of several initiatives by the Government to strengthen the patent ecosystem in the country such as reduction of fee for startups, small entities, and educational institutions, providing expedited Examination of Patent applications, pro bono facilitation to Indian startups for the filing and processing of patent, trademark, and design applications under Start-Ups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) scheme. The number of pending applications at different stages of processing as of November 2025 is:
- (ii) Table showing average time taken from the filing of request for examination (pendency time)  at different stages of processing in 2025  (till November 2025):
- (b): The  following  table  lists  the  average  time  taken  for  the  grant  of  patent applications (from the filing of request for examination), field-wise, for the year 2025 (up to November):

| Sl. No.   | Action                          | Stage                                                                                | Point of Pending Action                                | No. of Applications   |
|-----------|---------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------|
| (a)       | Application Pending Examination | Applications awaiting filing of Request for Examination to enable further processing | Applicant                                              | 2,50,384              |
| (a)       | for                             | Applications with request for examination filed but awaiting statutory publication   | Statutory requirements including 18 months publication | 17,946                |
| (a)       |                                 | Applications awaiting issuance of the First Examination Report (FER) by the Office   | Patent Office                                          | 1,58,618              |
| (a)       |                                 | Subtotal                                                                             | 4,26,948                                               | 4,26,948              |

| (b)   | Applications Pending for reexamination and/or Disposal   | Applications for which applicant's reply to the first examination report (FER) is pending   | Applicant     | 19,147   |
|-------|----------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------|----------|
|       |                                                          | Applications pending for re- examination and/or disposal by the Office                      | Patent Office | 29,719   |
|       |                                                          | Subtotal                                                                                    | 48,866        | 48,866   |
| (c)   | TOTAL (a) +(b)                                           | TOTAL (a) +(b)                                                                              | 4,75,814      | 4,75,814 |

|   SI. No. | Stage                    | Examination Request Type   |   Average time taken (in months) |
|-----------|--------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------------|
|         1 | First Examination Report | Expedited Examination      |                              5.7 |
|         1 | First Examination Report | Normal Examination         |                             24.7 |
|         2 | Final Decision           | Expedited Examination      |                             14.7 |
|         2 | Final Decision           | Normal Examination         |                             38.9 |

| S. No.   | Technical Field*   | Average time taken (in months)   | Average time taken (in months)   |
|----------|--------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| S. No.   | Technical Field*   | Expedited Examination            | Normal Examination               |
| 1        | BIOCHEMISTRY       | 13.0                             | 57.3                             |
| 2        | BIOMEDICAL         | 18.7                             | 38.9                             |
| 3        | BIOTECHNOLOGY      | 17.2                             | 70.6                             |
| 4        | CHEMISTRY          | 11.1                             | 33.2                             |
| 5        | CIVIL              | 32.3                             | 55.5                             |
| 6        | COMMUNICATION      | 12.3                             | 36.6                             |
| 7        | COMPUTER           | 16.0                             | 47.7                             |
| 8        | ELECTRICAL         | 13.8                             | 36.8                             |
| 9        | ELECTRONICS        | 13.3                             | 41.2                             |
| 10       | FOOD               | 17.2                             | 75.3                             |
| 11       | MECHANICAL         | 18.7                             | 46.0                             |
| 12       | METALLURGY         | 10.1                             | 39.6                             |
| 13       | PHYSICS            | 14.9                             | 46.0                             |
| 14       | POLYMER            | 11.0                             | 33.7                             |
| 15       | TEXTILE            | 20.9                             | 45.7                             |

*The  Office  does  not  maintain  sector-wise  data  on  patent  applications.  However, patent applications are classified into 15 technical fields for the  purpose  of examination. As a significant portion of applications may span multiple  technical  fields due  to  their  multidisciplinary  nature,  each  application is assigned to only one technical field of examination.

- (c): The  following  Table  enlists  the  details  of  posts  (sanctioned,  working  and vacant) in Patent Office as of November 2025:
- (d): No Patent Examiners and Controllers have not been recruited on a contractual basis since 2014.

| Sl. No   | Name of the post                              |   Sanctioned Strength |   Working Strength |   Vacant posts |
|----------|-----------------------------------------------|-----------------------|--------------------|----------------|
| 1.       | SeniorJoint Controller of Patents and Designs |                     3 |                  2 |              1 |
| 2.       | Joint Controller of Patents and Designs       |                    47 |                 40 |              7 |
| 3.       | Deputy Controller of Patents and Designs      |                   112 |                 72 |             40 |
| 4.       | Assistant Controller of Patents and Designs   |                   498 |                492 |             06 |
| 5.       | Examiner of Patents and Designs               |                   773 |                677 |             96 |
| TOTAL    | TOTAL                                         |                  1433 |               1283 |            150 |

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