“Indian Patent Statistics, Interesting Inventions, Indian Patent Office releases latest list of facilitators under SIPP Scheme, Call for papers on Intellectual Property and Sports, US Federal Circuit rules against Cisco in a patent infringement law suit, WIPO’s Global IP Services Report shows record – breaking growth in Asia, EPO, CEN and CENELEC sign MoU to support and promote SEP’s” presented by the Patent attorneys and experts of BananaIP Counsels, India’s leading Patent Firm.
Quote of the Week
“People equate patents with secrecy, that secrecy is what patents were designed to overcome. That’s why the formula for Coca-Cola was never patented. They kept it as a trade secret, and they’ve outlasted patent laws by 80 years or more.” Craig Venter, American Biotechnologist
Indian Patent Statistics
A total of 962 patent applications have been published in the 12th issue of the Patent Journal, 2019. Out of the 962 applications, 96 applications account for early publications while 866 applications account for ordinary publications or publications occurring after the 18-month period. A total of 359 applications were granted last week marking an increase of about 10.12% in grants.
Early Publications
| City | Previous Week | This Week | Percentage of change |
| Delhi | 13 | 10 | 23.07% decrease |
| Mumbai | 21 | 25 | 19.04% increase |
| Chennai | 16 | 53 | 231.25% increase |
| Kolkata | 15 | 8 | 46.66% decrease |
| Total | 65 | 96 | 6.55% increase |
Ordinary Publications
| City | Previous Week | This Week | Percentage of change |
| Delhi | 488 | 324 | 29.91% decrease |
| Mumbai | 160 | 67 | 58.12% decrease |
| Chennai | 248 | 351 | 41.53% increase |
| Kolkata | 124 | 124 | — |
| Total | 1020 | 866 | 15.09% increase |
TOTAL PUBLICATIONS (Previous Week): 1085
TOTAL PUBLICATIONS (This Week): 962
Percentage difference: 11.33% decrease
First Examination Report (FER) Statistics
A total 1850 FER’s have been issued last week. Applicants and their agents can check if any of their patent applications have been examined by referring to the journal available here.
| City | No. of FER Issued |
| Delhi | 676 |
| Mumbai | 251 |
| Chennai | 705 |
| Kolkata | 218 |
| Total | 1850 |
Publications Under Grant
| City | Previous Week | This Week | Percentage of change |
| Delhi | 107 | 117 | 9.34% increase |
| Mumbai | 54 | 53 | 1.85% decrease |
| Chennai | 102 | 120 | 17.64% increase |
| Kolkata | 63 | 69 | 29.21% increase |
| Total | 326 | 359 | 10.12% increase |
Number of Applications published based on applicant city
Of the total 962 patent applications published in the journal last week, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata have contributed a total of 175 applications. The total applications from each of the previously mentioned cities are as follows – 38 applications from Bangalore, 56 from Delhi, 30 applications from Chennai, 20 applications from Mumbai 22 applications from Hyderabad and 9 applications from Kolkata
| List of Cities | 1st January 2019 – 22nd March 2019 | 15th March 2019 – 22nd March 2019 |
| Delhi | 281 | 56 |
| Mumbai | 166 | 20 |
| Bangalore | 345 | 38 |
| Chennai | 340 | 30 |
| Hyderabad | 115 | 22 |
| Kolkata | 78 | 9 |
Total number of applications published by the Indian Patent Office from the 1st of January 2019 till date: 10483
- Early publications: 970
- Ordinary Publications: 9513
Total number of patents granted by the Indian Patent Office from the 1st of January 2019 till date: 4426
- Delhi – 1609
- Mumbai – 612
- Chennai – 1446
- Kolkata – 756
Indian Industrial Design Statistics
The designs office has registered a total of 204 designs this week. The total designs registered from the 1st of January 2019 till date now adds to a total of 3780 applications.
Total designs registered in the previous Week: 282
Total designs registered this Week: 204
Percentage Difference: 27.65% decrease
Total designs registered from the 1st of January 2019 till date: 3780
Interesting Inventions of the Week
Invention 1: AUTOMATIC SHIELD FOR PUBLIC SELF SERVICE MACHINES
Patent Application No.: 201641027026
Applicant: SATHEESH C
Abstract: “A safety device for safe guarding publicly placed selfservice machines comprising of a vertically imposed impenetrable shielding cover, a screw-rod assembly based shielding cover, an embedded controller with firmware, a real time clock calendar with battery backup, a door sensor and a sken. The shielding cover made of any impenetrable material, screws vertically down through the rode and covers die machine. The embedded controller with firmware and real time clock calendar with battery backup, controls the opening and closing of fiie shield at night or at predefined time. The door sensor senses any disruption or burglary attempt and is transmitted to the embedded controller with firmware switches on the siren and simultaneously closes down tfie shielding cover.”(The abstract has been provided as is and has not been corrected for errors)
Invention 2: SENIOR CITIZENS SUPPORT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM(SCSMS)
Patent Application No.: 201941010084
Applicant: Mandadi Venkatesulu et. al
Abstract:“India will have one out of six older persons by 2050. In the modern times, Senior citizens live away from their near and dear due to varied reasons. In such a scenario, there is a requirement for the support of the elderly population in their daily activities. A comprehensive support management system to cater to the needs of senior citizens would be a great requirement sooner. Hence it is necessary that the Senior Citizen support management in India must reach a level to provide accessible and affordable support to elderly people in all aspects of life such as health care, transportation, personal care, daily needs, house needs and miscellaneous supports. The Senior Citizen Support Management System facilitates the above stated supports based on Internet of Things (IoT), encryption and blockchain technologies so that Senior Citizens can lead a Stress free and Comfortable life.”(The abstract has been provided as is and has not been corrected for errors)
Indian Patent Updates
Indian Patent Office releases latest list of facilitators under SIPP Scheme
A public notice was issued on October 18th, 2018 where Indian Patent Office invited registered Agents to retain their names in the list of facilitators and new Agents to enroll for the same. Following this notice, the Indian Patent Office released the updated list of all facilitators under the Scheme for Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP), on 18th March, 2019. In three separate lists, IPO has identified 208 Patent Agents as facilitators, 7 in Designs and 240 agents as Trademark facilitators. Click here to access the list of patent facilitators and here for designs.
CNLU calls for papers on Intellectual Property and Sports
Chanakya National Law University (CNLU) will soon host a National Conference – “Reach for Gold: Intellectual Property and Sports.” The event has been organized to take place on 19th April, 2019 in order to commemorate World Intellectual Property Day, celebrated every year on 26th April since 1970. The one day National Conference has been organized to recognize and spread awareness regarding the intersection of Intellectual Property Law and Sports. It also aims to protect IP Rights in the field of sports by analyzing its scope and significance. The University’s Centre for Innovation, Research and Facilitation (CIRF) has provided prospective participants with a range of themes for the Research Paper. Some of the themes are – AI and sports, Patent law and Sports Equipment, Design and Sports garments, Media Rights and Sports, etc. Interested persons are required to submit an Abstract of 300 words by 30th March, 2019. For more information on specifics, click here.
Patent / Design Infringement, Dispute, Licensing and Settlement
US Federal Circuit rules against Cisco in a patent infringement law suit
In 2013, an independent non – profit research center, SRI International filed a suit against Cisco accusing the company of infringing its patent number – US 6,711,615 titled “Hierarchical Event Monitoring and Analysis.” The patent also known as “Emerald” is a security system for avoiding cyber – attacks on a large scale. Cisco contended that the invention was not eligible to receive a patent as a previously published paper would act as prior art. The referenced paper had been examined by the USPTO as it was cited as a reference in SRI’s patent application. In 2016, the US District Court for the District of Delaware rejected Cisco’s motion for a summary judgment and therefore a jury trial held that the company was liable for “willful infringement.” After this, the California based company filed an appeal in the Federal Circuit. On 20th March, 2019 the Federal Circuit ruled that “anticipation requires that a single prior art reference disclose each and every limitation of the claimed invention,” which the paper did not reveal. Further, the Court said that the jury’s decision was based on insufficient evidence, holding the judgment to be void. The District Court has been asked to determine substantial evidence, recalculate damages and the applicable attorney fees.
International Patent News
WIPO’s Global IP Services Report shows record – breaking growth in Asia
On 19th March, 2019 WIPO released its Global IP Services Report for the year 2017 – 18 According to the report, a total of 253,000 PCT applications were filed in the year 2017 – 18, marking a growth of 3.9% and over 5,404 applications have been filed under The Hague System for Industrial Designs thereby marking an increase of 3.7%. In 2018 alone, India and Finland were among the only two countries that have shown a double – digit annual growth in the number of PCT Applications with 27.2% and 14.7%, respectively. Among the top 10 PCT countries, USA lead the charts with 56,142 PCT filings despite a decrease of 0.9% when compared to the previous year. Huawei Technologies, emerged as the top PCT applicant with 5,405 applications. In the context of number of patent applications filed in the year 2017, India was among the top 10 patent offices with over 46,582 applications being filed with the office thereby marking an increase of about 3.4% when compared with the preceding year. Director, Francis Gurry said “Asia is now the majority filer of international patent applications via WIPO, which is an important milestone for the economically dynamic region and underscores the historical geographical shift of innovative activity from West to East.” Click here to access the interactive IP charts.
EPO, CEN and CENELEC sign MoU to support and promote SEP’s
On 18th March, 2019 the European Patent Office, the European Committee of Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) for the first time, signed an MoU in order to bring standardization and patents together. The organizations have come together to boost support given to researchers and developers of inventions in the field of SEP’s. The effect of the understanding between these organization is such that it encourages distribution of new technology and knowledge. Previously, the EPO and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) entered into an agreement to extend co-operation and assistance with regard to SEP’s, in the EU. EPO President António Campinos said that collaboration amidst standardization organizations is key as it allows them to collectively face challenges that lie ahead. He further said that “It will help ensure that the patent system continues to support a competitive innovation environment for businesses by delivering greater transparency on standard essential patents, as well as high patent quality.”
Authored and compiled by Vibha Amarnath
About BIP’s Patent Attorneys
Led by Senior Partners, Somashekar Ramakrishna, Nitin Nair and Vinita Radhakrishnan, BIP’s Patent Attorneys are among the leading patent practitioners in the country. They work with clients such as Mahindra and Mahindra, Samsung, HCL, Eureka Forbes, and Titan. They specialize in IT/Software, Electronics/Telecom, Mechanical, Automotive, and Bio/Pharma domains, and help clients with patent filing, prosecution, management and strategy in India, and across the world.
The weekly patent news initiative is a part of their pro bono work, and is aimed at spreading patent awareness. You are free to share the news with appropriate attribution and backlink to the source.
If you have any questions, you may write to BIP’s Patent Attorneys – contact@bananaip.com
