Govt Increases Patent Filing Charges For Startups Under SIPP By 50%

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced on Friday that IP facilitator charges have increased by almost 50% for patent filing under the Startups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) scheme.

For patents, the fee for application and filing has been increased to INR 15K from INR 10K. For trademarks and designs, the fee has been increased to INR 3K from INR 2K.

The Scheme for Facilitating Startups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) was launched on a pilot basis in January 2016 to protect and promote startups’ intellectual property rights (IPR).

It was first extended for a three-year period from 2017 to 2020. It is now being extended further for a period of three years, up to March 31, 2023, as notified by the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

“Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) are emerging as a strategic business tool for business organisations to enhance industrial competitiveness. Startups, with limited resources and manpower, can sustain in this highly competitive world only through continuous growth and development-oriented innovations; for this, it is equally crucial that they protect their IPRs,” said the notice shared by DPIIT for SIPP extension till 2023.

According to a media report, as on September 30, INR 380.81 lakh have been disbursed as fees to the facilitators assisting the startups in IP fillings. The revised fee structure is expected to further augment the filing of IP applications by startups through the assistance of IP facilitators offering effective and quality service.

Patent applications filed by startups increased from 179 in 2016-17 to 1,500 in 2021-22. Similarly, the media report added that trade mark applications rose to 8,649 in 2021-22 from just four in 2016-17.

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