“The value of an idea lies in the using of it.” -Thomas Edison (1847 – 1931), Inventor

On 18th June, 2021 NASSCOM Research & INDIAai conducted an event, AI Patent Power Hour, a one-hour digital event where startups, legal experts and industry leaders will discussed the outlook of AI patents in India.

The event started off with a fireside chat among panelists followed by the launch of the report compiled by from NASSCOM, INDIAai, and Sagacious IP, AI: Making India the innovation leader in the new normal. The second half of the event had an AI Patent Primer Workshop which covered eligibility, process, do's & don'ts, practical tips and FAQs.

The fireside chat on the topic “AI patents in India - what's stopping us?” witnessed indepth discussion on various aspects on the subject of patents by the experts. The event had panellists Mr. Neerav Parekh- Founder & CEO at vPhrase, Mr. Anand Subhash -Founder & Chief Architect, ConceptBytes, and Mr. Gagandeep Reehal, Co-Founder & CEO Minus Zero. 

According to a report report released by World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in 2019, India was declared an emerging destination for filing patents in AI. The growth trajectory for India in the past two years has been on the upswing. From 1999 to 2014, Indians filed about 1.2 lakh patents. From 2014 to 2019 alone, the numbers stand at 2.3 lakh. India ranks high in the number of AI patents, research in AI and publishing scientific papers, specifically in areas like Computer Vision, NLP, speech analytics, distributed AI and predictive analytics. With an endeavour to take innovations from lab to land, premier academic institutions and universities are enhancing their efforts to file more patents every year. In addition, a sizeable number of startups and technology companies are also upping their efforts to develop new products, patent them and publish their findings. Startups, in particular, are enthused with the idea of filing patents as it enhances their chances with investors and acquisitions by larger companies. But there is a need to mobilise these developments, build a stronger research-driven ecosystem and address ground challenges.

According to Mr. Gagandeep, the process of patents is a technological process and hence needs a supervision and expertise of both lawyers and technology innovators. He added that it is of utmost importance to understand what kind of protection do you need for your invention. He stressed on having a neat and thorough patenting application process. 

A patent mostly will have two parties involved one is the company under which the patent get registered and one in the employee whose idea it is or the one who is called the inventor. 

Giving due credits to the inventor will boost motivation among employees and will set an encouraging stage for the others involved. 

"Before filing for a patent it is important to evaluate the the worth of the invention, if it is quantifiable or measurable in terms of its value” said Mr. Anand Subhash. He added that an extensive research shall be conducted to understand is there any work already done on similar lines or is it ongoing?

When asked about how more and more employees can be sensitised towards inventions and patent registrations henceforth Mr Neerav Parekh said “people find it motivating when they see their names featured for inventions, hence having clear ownership is a must.” 

The experts unanimously agreed that patent add credibility to small companies who are trying to raise funds, helps in negotiations however it is a long, expensive, and thorough process. This should be in line to the company’s vision and shall be strategised accordingly.

Mr. Vaibhav Henry, EVP – ICT, Sagacious IP, Aastha Uppal, Manager – Hi Tech Drafting, Sagacious IP presented a valuable session “Patent Primer, Mini Workshop” on how to start on with the patent process answering various questions like “Does your work warrant a patent on AI?” 

The workshop touched upon various steps of transitioning from AI innovations to AI patent.

The FAQs session had the experts answer important questions such as, what could be the reasons to not file for a patent, what are the benefits that inventors get for patents.

The session was helpful for aspiring tech innovators, small organizations looking to expand their horizon. Hope the world witness more inventions and innovative ideas set to make the world a more place.