Insights from the Annual Report 2024–25 published by the Patent Office
Summary: India’s intellectual property ecosystem achieved a record-breaking year in FY 2024-25, with total filings surging nearly 20% across patents, trademarks, designs, GIs, and copyrights. This growth signals rising confidence in domestic innovation and the effectiveness of modernisation initiatives like digitisation and AI integration. For readers, the report highlights India’s evolving IP landscape, offering insights into opportunities, challenges, and the country’s strengthening global position in intellectual property protection.
Overview: A Breakout Performance
India’s intellectual property ecosystem experienced a breakout year in FY 2024–25, with filings reaching record highs across patents, designs, trademarks, geographical indications, and copyrights. The total IPR applications surged by 19.75 per cent to 749,946, up from 635,508 the previous year. The strong year-on-year growth in filings reflects confidence in the Indian market’s potential for the coming years.
This article provides insights into the Annual Report 2024–25 of Office of the Controller General of Patents, which examines the structural drivers, operational challenges, international positioning, and forward trajectory of India’s IP system, drawing on detailed filing, examination, grant, and revenue data across patents, designs, trademarks, geographical indications, and copyrights.
Patent Filings: Domestic Surge Amidst Transitional Challenges
Domestic Filing and Leadership
Patent filings in 2024–25 rose to 110,375 in FY 2024–25, with the applications demonstrating a consistent five-year upward momentum from 58,503 in FY 2020–21 and representing a 19.75 per cent year-on-year increase (see Figure 1). Domestic filings increased 32.23 per cent to 68,201, accounting for 61.79 per cent of the total applications, compared to 51,574 (55.96 per cent) the previous year, underscoring a structural shift towards Indian applicants constituting the majority.
[Figure 1: Trends in Last Five Years (FY 2020–21to FY 2024–25) with respect to filing of Patent Applications
Source: Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs, Trademarks and Geographical Indications, Annual Report 2024-25]
Moreover, amendments to the Patents Rules 2003 between 2016 and 2024 helped expedite and simplify procedures, significantly reducing the burden on inventors/applicants and ensuring a relatively smoother filing experience.
Processing and Grants
Examination activity fell from 73,165 to 15,726, as new examiners underwent training, while patent grants dropped from 103,057 the previous year to 33,504, with 10,682 going to Indian applicants. Expedited examination requests were prioritised, with 7,154 filings and 3,349 grants.
Design Registrations: Fastest-Growing Segment
Design filings exhibited a dramatic growth increase of 41.52 per cent, rising to 43,005 applications in FY 2024–25 from 14,241 in FY 2020–21. Of these, 90 per cent were domestic filings, with 38,808 being Indian applicants, which represented the highest share across all IP categories, reflecting India’s vibrant design culture in textiles, handicrafts, consumer goods, etc. The office registered 30,349 designs (see Figure 2) and disposed of 31,923 applications.
[Figure 2: State/Union Territory (UT)-Wise Registered Designs
Source: Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs, Trademarks and Geographical Indications, Annual Report 2024-25]
Processing and Registrations
Of the 43,005 design applications filed in FY 2024–25, the Designs Office examined 38,009 and registered 70.6 per cent.
Trademarks: Record Registrations Powered by Technology
Trademark filings maintained steady growth over the five-year period, rising from 431,213 in 2020–21 to 552,190 in FY 2024–25, reflecting approximately 16 per cent year-on-year growth (see Figure 3). The Trademarks Registry examined 156,403 applications, registered 382,834 marks (up 36.86 per cent year-on-year), and disposed of 471,719 applications (up 8.7 per cent). Indian applicants filed 539,132 applications, while foreign applicants contributed 13,058.
[Figure 3: Trend of Applications Filed from FY 2020–21 to FY 2024–25
Source: Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs, Trademarks and Geographical Indications, Annual Report 2024-25]
The growth in filings and registrations indicates that the Trademarks Registry not only absorbed new applications but also cleared many pending cases. Cloud migration and the integration of AI and machine learning capabilities into the AI-powered Trademark Search and the IP Saarthi chatbot expanded support.
Geographical Indications (GIs): Expanding Domestic Protection
GI filings doubled, depicting a 105 per cent increase from 134 in FY 2023–24 to 275 in FY 2024–25, after showing a consistent rise from 58 in FY 2020–21 to 116 and 211, in FY 2021–22 and FY 2022–23, respectively. The office examined 212 applications and registered 62 geographical indications.
Handicraft/textiles (e.g., Banarasi silk, Kanchipuram sarees, Pashmina shawls, etc.) and agricultural products (e.g., Darjeeling tea, Alphonso mango, etc.) dominated filings, with the increase in GI filings between FY 2023–24 and FY 2024–25 reflecting heightened awareness of GI protection.
Copyrights: Consistent Growth Alongside Digital Transformation
In FY 2024–25, 44,095 copyright applications were filed, with 26,767 being registered in the form of Registrations of Copyright (“ROC”). Filings steadily increased over five years from 24,451 in FY 2020–21 to 44,095 in FY 2024–25.
The Copyright Office launched a new and easier-to-interpret Copyright Certificate format. It also strengthened the online filing system to promote digitalisation, which resulted in 97 per cent of e-filings and enabled online third-party objections and video hearings. As of 2025, over 350,000 copyrights have been registered.
[Figure 4: Category-wise Registration of Copyright (ROC) generated during the FY 2024–25
Source: Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs, Trademarks and Geographical Indications, Annual Report 2024-25]
The category-wise ROC shows (see Figure 4) that Literary/Dramatic works dominated filings at 63.6 per cent. Computer Software accounted for 6.5 per cent, although this may not be a true reflection of the actual amount of software creation, as many developers rely on trade secrets and open-source licensing rather than copyright registrations.
OPERATIONAL REFORMS: MODERNISATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING
Human Capital Development: Bouddhik Aagman
Under the “Bouddhik Aagman” initiative, 407 patent examiners were inducted and trained through competency-based programmes for 16 weeks starting January 2025. The National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (“NPCSCB”) was also expanded to implement a similar capacity-building framework. Together, these frameworks are expected to lead to an effective and efficient increase in patent examination capacity, with training investment returns visible from the second half of FY 2025-26 onwards, as examiners complete their induction programmes and ramp up to full productivity.
International Engagement and Treaty Participation
India celebrated 50 years of partnership with WIPO, playing a key role in certain WIPO engagements including hosting seminars in six cities with expert panels, adopting the WIPO Treaty on GRATK, and participating in the Design Law Treaty. Furthermore, bilateral engagements spanning multiple developed economies, emerging markets, and regional partners such as Mauritius, Bhutan, and the Philippines all reflected India’s multi-alignment strategy. Such international engagements are crucial for India to reinforce and maintain its position as a trusted partner in international IP cooperation.
Conclusion
FY 2024–25 was a watershed year for India’s IP ecosystem, with record filings across patents, designs, trademarks, GIs, and copyrights, driven by a structural shift towards indigenous innovation. Financial performance underscored this maturity in the IP ecosystem, with total revenue rising 7.14 per cent to INR 1,449.47 crore against expenditure of INR 295.67 crore. Digitisation, AI-powered tools, and process simplification are being increasingly used to protect domestic creations; however, examination output and grants remain a transitional challenge. The programmes being implemented will hopefully address these.
