#Startup India: Amitabh Kant says patent pendency in India will be reduced to US, Japan levels

DIPP Secretary Amitabh Kant says India will reduce its massive backlog of patent patency in coming 18 months and will bring down to US, Japan levels.

Addressing a jam-packed audience at Startup India event at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Kant said Intellectual Property Rights applications will be processed as around 1,000 patent examiners have been hired and the work has also been outsourced to IITs.

"In 18 months time we will bring our patent pendency to exactly the same level as in the US and Japan. And in about a year's time we will bring the trade mark pendency down to zero level," said Kant.

About 2.46 lakh patent applications and 5.32 lakh trademark registrations were pending (as on November 1, 2015) due to shortage of manpower. On the other hand, the pendency level is quite low in developed countries like the US and Japan.

When asked what will be done to ensure that Startups are not limited to cities like Bengaluru and Gurgaon, HRD Secretary V S Oberoi said his ministry will provide the backup, handholding and other helps to young entrepreneurs.

"Our effort is to spread this across India...In the next few months I would see a strong element of support that incidentally is not metro or big city oriented. It is really out there (other parts of the country) we hope to concentrate," he added.