India’s intellectual property ecosystem has undergone significant expansion and modernization, recording a 44 percent surge in total IP filings from 2020–21 to 2024–25. The cumulative filings rose from 477,533 in 2020–21 to 689,991 in 2024–25, driven by policy reforms, fee reductions and digital transformation led by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The highest growth was observed in Geographical Indications (GI), which rose by 380 percent over the five-year span. Design registrations increased by 266 percent, patents by 180 percent, copyrights by 83 percent, trademarks by 28 percent, and Semiconductor Integrated Circuit Layout Designs (SICLD) by 20 percent.
Patent filings rose from 24,326 in 2020–21 to 68,176 in 2024–25, while design applications grew from 10,594 to 38,804. Trademark filings reached 538,665—up from 418,594 five years ago. Copyright filings stood at 44,066, while GI filings increased to 274. SICLD registrations increased from 5 to 6.
India has now recorded a total of 697 registered GI applications as of July 2025, including 658 from domestic applicants and 39 from foreign entities. Handicrafts led with 366 GI registrations, followed by 218 for agricultural goods, 56 for food items, 54 for manufactured goods and 3 for natural products.
Tamil Nadu leads all states with 69 GI registrations, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 76, Maharashtra with 52, Karnataka with 45, Assam with 40, Kerala with 37, and West Bengal with 34. All 28 states and 8 UTs have now recorded some form of GI registration.
The IP Office has been digitized and streamlined, with over 95 percent of patent and trademark filings now submitted online. The e-filing system offers secure 24×7 access, digital signature options, real-time tracking, video conferencing for hearings, automated alerts, and downloadable certificates.
The National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission (NIPAM) has conducted over 9,500 IP literacy programs across the country, reaching more than 2.5 million students and faculty. A newly launched chatbot, IP Sarthi, helps small businesses navigate the IP registration process. AI-powered trademark search tools and an IP Dashboard have also been introduced for public access to real-time data.
Significant fee concessions have been granted: 80 percent reduction in patent fees for startups, MSMEs and educational institutions; 75 percent reduction in design fees; and 50 percent cut in trademark fees for startups and MSMEs.
Provisions for expedited examination now cover startups, MSMEs, women applicants, PSUs and entities using India as an international filing authority.
The “Certificate of Inventorship” has been introduced for patents to formally recognize inventors’ contributions. An IPR Internship Programme and the Startups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) scheme are underway to support filings and capacity building.
Manpower at the IP Office has increased substantially. Patent Office staff strength rose by 233 percent from 431 in 2014 to 1,433 in 2024; working personnel grew 196 percent from 281 to 833. Additionally, 200 new posts were sanctioned in 2025 for trademarks, GI and copyright functions.
From 2004 to 2025, GI registration trends showed gradual increases with domestic applications dominating. After a pandemic-induced dip in 2020–21, applications surged to a peak of 160 in 2023–24, underscoring rising awareness and governmental focus on indigenous product protection.
India’s IP ecosystem is now positioned as a streamlined, digitally empowered and globally competitive framework aimed at fostering creativity, innovation, and commercialization of intellectual assets.
