Nearly 2.4 lakh patent applications pending with government, says Nirmala Sitharaman

As many as 2.37 lakh patent applications are pending with the government, mainly due to a shortage of manpower, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

"The total number of patent applications and trademark registration requests pending as on February 1, 2016, are 2,37,029 and 5,44,171 respectively," Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

This pendency, she said, "is primarily due to a shortage of manpower".

The government has taken several measures to clear the applications and that includes sanctioning of 373 additional posts in the patent wing.

"The selection process to fill up 458 vacant posts of examiners of patents and designs has already been completed. Besides, as a short time measure, 263 contractual posts of examiners of patents and designs have also been created," she said.

In trademark wing also, she said, 108 additional posts have been created.

Replying to a question on the Word Trade Organisation (WTO), the minister said India remains committed to the Doha Development Agenda.

"If it is concluded as per its mandate, it will result in better integration of developing countries in the global trading system," Sitharaman said.

The mandate of the Doha Round of trade negotiations in the WTO includes phasing out of all forms of export subsidies.