India files about 1,00,000 patent applications a year. That puts us in No. 6 in the world ranking. In the next decade, if we continue to grow as we do now, we will likely more than double this number and surpass the European Patent Office, give the current rate of growth. That’s quite a lot of applications for the IPO to process and grant.
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We now have about 5000 registered patent agents who are active in practice. On an average, given the number of applications we file, each registered patent agent should get around 20 applications to file every year. Unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way in reality. That’s where the 80/20 principle
(the Pareto principle) kicks in.
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Roughly 80% of the consequences comes from 20% of the causes.
Or
Roughly 80% (or more) of the patent applications comes from 20% (or less) of the patent agents.
Put bluntly, the 80/20 rule for patent agents isn’t just lopsided—it’s ruthless: a tiny cohort commands the overwhelming bulk of filings, leaving the vast majority fighting over scraps.
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Now, you may ask this question why is this happening in the age of AI which has seen enormous productivity for patent agents and have given them a level playing field where they can rub shoulders with the big wigs? The answer is simple.
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AI enabled search and drafting tools are ubiquitous and freely available to everyone. When a technology is so democratized it is hard to have a competitive advantage in that field. That's why big laws firms still rule the roost.
The competitive advantage lies in patent prosecution, not in patent drafting and filing.
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With more than 400 court cases involving patents filed before the high courts every year, almost every decision now has the potential of becoming a binding precedent that the patent agent needs to know.
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Answering First Statement of Objections (also known as FERs) is the single most important skill that the patent agent needs to master. But this is not taught or even discussed in many of the patent agent training programs that have sprouted across the country charging a bomb for the courses.
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LexCampus has been in the forefront of patent agent training since 2016. All our video lectures are freely available on our YouTube Channel. Our founder, Prof. Dr. Feroz Ali offers his patent courses on NPTEL/SWAYAM every year where thousands enrol and equip themselves to take the Patent Agent Exam for almost nothing. We offer patent agent exam training for free which others are charging for it for a simple reason: the key skill for the patent agent is the ability to effectively send replies to FERs and amend the patent to traverse the patent office objections. Yet another important skill is the ability to defend pre-grant and post-grant oppositions to the patent applications. The focus of LexCampus is to equip you to become the best version of yourself professionally.
LexCampus invites every patent agent practising in India (and every aspiring patent agent who want to pursue excellence) to a live-session with Prof. Dr. Feroz Ali, on how to enhance your competitive advantage in patent prosecution and set yourself on a journey of continuous professional improvement.