83,686 Patent applications for examination are pending as on 8th March, 2011. This pendency is due to substantial increase in filing requests for examination and shortage of examiners of Patent and Designs.
200 posts of Patent Examiners were created under the XI Five Year Plan. As part of the recruitment process, and examination to recruit 257 patent examiners (which includes the new posts created) was conducted on 2nd January, 2011. There is no proposal to establish more branches of patent offices. However, a list of Product Patents in Pharmaceuticals granted by the Indian Patent Office between 2005-06 to 2009-10 has been placed in the IPO website www.ipindia.nic.in.
This information was given by Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
