Working/non-Working Status of Patents Granted to HEIs and NRLs in India

The era of knowledge economy has seen a transition in the business market, from the need to control raw materials towards the protection of ideas, either as tangible or non-tangible assets. These assets may be secured in the form of various intellectual property (IP) instruments such as patents, know-how or technologies. These IP instruments (patents) not only give the IP owners (patentees) a monopoly over the use of their ideas/inventions, but also mandate them to commercially exploit the same for the benefit of the population at large. While economically developed countries (like China, USA, South Korea, Japan, etc.) appreciate this fact, developing countries like India are yet to make their mark in this transition; thus it is imperative to evaluate the IP landscape of the country. It is well acknowledged that major contributors to fundamental research in any country are the higher educational institutions (HEIs) and national research laboratories (NRLs). Hence, this study evaluates the patent commercialization ecosystem of Indian HEIs (351) and NRLs (553) for the period January 2010 to December 2017, based on the working statements filed by the patentees/assignees in the prescribed Form-27 at the Indian Patent Office.