In the previous edition of this report, there was a total 211 patent law firms recorded in India between 2016 and 2020. According to IP Pilot’s latest data, this number has grown by almost 20% with 250 firms representing 187,827 applications between 2018 and 2022.
Rank: Largest 25 Patent Prosecution Firms in India
Despite the emergence of new entrants, the bulk of the applications remained under the helm of some large players. The 25 largest patent prosecution firms in India alone prosecuted 83% of the total volume (156,118 applications) between 2018 and 2022.
Notably, the largest 5 representatives in the country had strong foothold with little changes in their ranks: DEPENNING & DEPENNING, REMFRY & SAGAR, K&S PARTNERS, LAKSHMIKUMARAN & SRIDHARAN, and ANAND AND ANAND ADVOCATES. All five firms handled more than 10,000 patent applications during the observed time period.
ENNOBLE IP and KHAITAN & CO, in particular, witnessed remarkable growth as their filings surged by more than 24-folds and 4-folds respectively, catapulting their ranks to the 6th and 19th positions in 2022.
Overall Patent Landscape in India
Approximately 76% of all the filings prosecuted by Indian associates were from foreign origins.
The vast majority of the 25 largest patent prosecution firms in India naturally were the same, with more than half of them having 80% of their portfolio exposed to international clients. Only a few firms – including the earlier-mentioned ENNOBLE IP and KHAITAN & CO, KHURANA & KHURANA, and IPMETRIX CONSULTING GROUP – worked primarily domestic clients with their share of foreign work lower than 50% (see Table).
Majority of the foreign filings prosecuted by Indian associates originated from the United States, Japan, Germany, China and France. Some of the largest filers included American QUALCOMM INC and MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC, S. Korean SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD, Chinese HUAWEI TECH CO LTD and GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP LTD.
Case Exchange Trends
From 2018 to 2022, patent prosecution firms in India received a total of 127,319 patent cases to their foreign associates. The major senders were associate firms from the United States, China, Japan, Germany and Korea, collectively sending 75% of the cases received by patent prosecutions firms in India.
Indian firms, on the other hand, sent 12,672 patent cases to their global counterparts. The US and China counterparts alone received 39% of the total number of cases dispatched by Indian law firms.
Law Firms Sending Most Cases to India: Country Breakdown 2018-2022
Law Firms Receiving Most Cases from India: Country Breakdown 2018-2022
To Sum Up
Between 2018 to 2022, the number of patent prosecution firms in India has surged by nearly 20%, reaching 250 associates that handled 187,827 applications. Despite the influx of new entrants, a few major players dominated, with the top 25 Indian firms accounting for 83% of the total volume. Approximately 76% of all filings by Indian associates were from foreign origins, with the majority of the top 25 firms catering significantly to international clients, particularly from the United States, Japan, Germany, China, and France. The report also highlights the exchange trends, indicating that from 2018 to 2022, Indian patent prosecution firms received 127,319 cases from foreign associates, primarily from the United States, China, Japan, Germany, and Korea. In contrast, Indian firms sent 12,672 cases globally, with the United States and China being the primary recipients, collectively receiving 39% of the dispatched cases.