India trumpets her patent success

The IPKat congratulates India on that excellent country's most recent achievement. According to a press release from the Government of India's Press Information Bureau:

"In recognition of the efforts made by the Government of India in modernising its intellectual property systems as well as infusing transparency and openness in the system, the 170 plus Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), in the recently concluded General Assemblies of WIPO, endorsed India’s recognition as an International Searching Authority (ISA) and an International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA). “The recognition of India as an ISA/IPEA puts India in a coveted league of only 15 nations and organization which are currently recognized at a global level by ISA/APEA”, Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, informed in a press briefing ....

The status of ISA and IPEA would be beneficial for India in several ways. Apart from the international recognition that our IP system would get, it would also generate revenues in the form of fees that would be provided to us for functioning as an ISA/IPEA. Being the only English speaking nation in the Asian region to be recognized as an ISA/IPEA would mean that several international applications received by WIPO under the Patents Cooperation Treaty would be sent to the Indian Patent Offices for search and preliminary examination purposes".

Right: the IPKat on a recent trip to India

The IPKat hopes that India's prestige at international level will be reflected in the increased efficiency and user-friendliness of its patent system at the domestic level. Merpel agrees, but urges the Indian patent authorities to read and take to heart the content of the Spicy IP weblog, which is a valuable, well-balanced and constructive commentator upon the Indian IP scene. That way, they will remember that the patent system is for the benefit of its users, not its administrators.

Spicy IP petition for an Indian patent database here
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