The number of patent applications filed in India has risen 30 percent in the past five years, according to the Economic Survey 2021-22, which was tabled in Parliament in late January 2022. The number of patents granted nearly tripled during the same period, the study said. Although the number of patent applications filed in India remains a fraction of the number filed in China or the United States, the increase boosted India’s ranking in the Global Innovation Index from No. 81 in 2015-16 to No. 46 in 2021, and shows that the government’s efforts to encourage startups to file patents through rebates in patent and trademark filings may be gaining traction.
The increase in IP filings has been good for IP lawyers, and any serious observer of India’s legal system has no doubt noticed that more and more lawyers in the country are hanging out their own shingle to take advantage of these new opportunities.
It is against this backdrop that we proudly unveil the 2022 edition of our 100 India IP Experts list. To help us compile this groundbreaking list, Asia IP asked a large number of professionals – mostly in-house counsel and corporate legal managers – what they were looking for from their legal service providers. From their answers, we have compiled our list, which focuses on those lawyers who understand just what their clients need and are able to provide them with the best practical advice.