India Looks To Ease IP Laws By Scrapping 1,000 Provisions In 45 Days

The government is set to mark and potentially remove as many as 1,000 provisions in the next 45 days to decriminalise and simplify India’s patent regime, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday.

The exercise, he noted, is aimed at making the country’s intellectual property (IP) framework more innovation-friendly while ensuring affordability and access to medicines.

Intellectual property laws in India include all rules and laws pertaining to patents, designs, copyrights, trademarks and geographical indications.

Speaking at an interaction with intellectual property stakeholders, Goyal said the reforms would pave the way for greater investment in research and development, with India looking to balance the interests of the pharmaceutical industry and public health. “We are focused on data exclusivity, but without evergreening creeping into our system,” he said, warning that patent evergreening could lead to expensive medicines and create the risk of retaliatory taxes from other countries.

Goyal identified data exclusivity as the "last missing link" before India could unlock "billions of dollars" in R&D inflows. He added that two of the most dissatisfied stakeholders with India’s patent laws, Switzerland and the UK, have already completed a chapter on intellectual property with India in trade talks.

“This is an opportunity for India to play up its low-cost R&D ecosystem,” Goyal said, adding that the government was keen to create a balanced system that attracts innovation without compromising accessibility.

On future policy measures, Goyal said the government was open to new laws and amendments, and would examine opportunities for monetising trademarks. However, he remarked that after the Kingfisher case, he did not expect significant enthusiasm for such monetisation.

The minister’s comments come amid ongoing efforts to modernise India’s IP framework — both to align with global trade commitments and to position the country as a competitive destination for innovation-driven investment.