Recently, the Government's affiliation with startups altered drastically. From the year 2015 Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the Startup India campaign to perk up the environment for startups and small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) across India. Startup India is an initiative to assist budding entrepreneurs. This ambitious program by the Government of India received a positive ovation from the startup ecosystem and is meant for fostering and encouraging entrepreneurship and startups extensively. Since then, many restrictions have been removed and enticement put in place. Here are the newly two schemes described as an initiative for supporting, sensitizing and Fabricating IP Awareness among various stakeholders and a scheme for Shoring up International Patent protection in Electronics and Information Technology.

Indian Government endows in the midst of IP awareness and sustains Workshops/seminar in Electronics and Information technology sector under the scheme of supporting, sensitizing and fabricating IP awareness. The proposal aspires to offer financial support to academic organization, manufacturing bodies and DeitY self-governing societies.

Further it has been declared that, this thought provoking scheme by administration will lasts for a period of 5 years i.e. up to November 30, 2019 and the online Application forms are available at www.deity.gov.in.

Financial support or assistance will be provided to eligible institute/organization for generating IP responsiveness workshops/seminars. The restriction of subsidy for stakeholders intended to receive benefits will be based upon the norms under this scheme is as follows:

  • Educational institutes providing technical education in Electronics & Information Technology realm and incubation park/entrepreneurship cell will aid maximum support up to Rs.2.0 Lakhs.
  • Industry or Manufacturing bodies like MAIT, ELCINA, CII, NASSCOM, FICCI, IESA, ASSOCHAM etc. will abet up to Rs. 3.0 lakhs.
  • Rs. 5.0 Lakhs for DeitY Societies, DeitY Autonomous bodies involving international experts.

The guiding procedure for filing submission form electronically as a support for IP awareness Workshop(s)/Seminar(s) is as follows:

  • The details of applicant organization is required specifically Category of organization that falls under the purview of one of either Educational institutes, Industry bodies and DeitY Society(ies) or DeitY Autonomous Body(ies), Legal status of the organization as whether Government Institution, Government Supported Institution or Private Institution and if there are any co-cordinator(s) then the Name, Designation and Contact Number of concerned person.
  • It is also required to furnish the details of the proposed IPR awareness workshop(s) and occurrence in progression of actions undertaken in the past or taken up in future towards Innovation and IPR in organization along with proposed date, expected number of participants, venue of seminar/workshop and estimated budget of expenditure.
  • Further the Specification of any Incubation Centre/IPR Cell/Entrepreneurship Cell existing in organization along with Specification of any patent(s) has been filed/granted in the Name of the particular Organization and Copy of the detailed program along with scope, nature of participants, Panel of speakers and experts with Consent letter should be attached.

Correspondingly financial support has also been provided for International Patent Protection in Electronics and IT (SIP-EIT) sector to small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) and Technology startup entities. The scheme facilitates SMEs and startup entities to get acquainted with the significance and potential of global IP and confine growth opportunities in the field of information technology and electronics.

The extent to which financial support is reimbursed for expenses of patent is up to 50% of total cost and restricted to limit of Rs. 15 lakhs whichever the amount is less incurred for filing each invention.

The total expenditure cost that will be reimbursed includes from filing fees up to the Grant/issuance fees and later after the phase of grant, cost shall be incurred by the industry itself.

For filing International Patents, applicant have to choose either the PCT (Patent Cooperation treaty) route or can file directly to any country of his choice after providing justification of his choice of route in which he desires to file a Patent application.

Eligibility criteria to apply for scheme of International Patent protection in Electronics and Information Technology:

  • Registered Indian Micro, Small and Medium enterprises.
  • Enterprises engaged in the manufacture or production of goods where the investment in plant and machinery does not exceed Rs.10.00 crore or Providing or rendering of services the scheme will be restricted to enterprises where the investment in plant and machinery does not exceed Rs.5.00 crore.
  • In-house R&D Certification by DSIR or Technology Incubation enterprises registered as companies with support under some government scheme.
  • Applicants should have already filed a patent application for the said invention in India and invention must be in Electronics/ICT technology domain.
  • The application must be accompanied by prior art search report from International Search authority/ registered attorney firm or any other reputed agency and should be processed through a registered patent attorney of a firm having experience at least 5 years in handling patent applications.

The aspirant can ask for sustenance at any stage of International filing. Furthermore, reimbursement will only be pertinent to expenditure incurred succeeding to the date on which application has been cleared for support.

Documents required to be submitted by company

  • Application Form (giving requisite information about the applicant and the innovation)
  • Reimbursement Details (As per the format in the application form)
  • Patent Search Report
  • Product brochure (if any)
  • Copy of Registration of the applicant industry
  • Copy of official filing with Indian Patent Office
  • Latest Annual Report of the Company.
  • Proof of DSIR recognition of in-house R&D in industry (preferred) / Proof of Govt.
  • Supported incubation Enterprise
  • Declaration (as given in the application form)

For further information please refer www.deity.gov.in website or ICT-IPR portal

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