Research & Publications Office to host seminar on ‘Understanding working of patents: Empirical evidence based on India’ on 13 March
The talk will be delivered by Prof. Ruchi Sharma, IIT Indore
6 March, 2026, Bengaluru: The Office of Research and Publications (R&P) will host a seminar on, ‘Understanding working of patents: Empirical evidence based on India’, to be led by Prof. Ruchi Sharma, IIT Indore (Strategy area), at 2.30 pm on 13th March 2026, in Classroom Q-001.
Abstract: The paper focuses on patents that are commercially worked or not based on novel dataset on working of patents from the Indian patent office. The information based on Form 27, mandated by Section-146 of the India Patents Act, is collated from the patent office website. This information is aligned with patent-level indicators representing ownership, technological complexity and quality, as well as their influence on the decision of patentees to work or not work the patent. On average, approximately 75% of patents are not in working status, with most of these patents belonging to non-residents. However, if a patent is owned by a resident, the marginal probability of working it increases by 17.2%. This result supports the argument that residents are actively using novel technologies. However, non-residents may find it challenging to work a technology away from home as they report prospective reasons for non-working of the patent. The findings have implications for theory and practice for patent policy in emerging countries like India. The researchers support the use of Form 27 as a tool to recognize commercialization challenges faced by patentees in India and to design relevant policy interventions.
Speaker Profile: Dr. Ruchi Sharma, IPR Chair Professor, is a faculty of Economics at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, where she leads the Innovation Studies Group.
She holds a PhD in Economics from IIT Kanpur. Her research interests lie at the intersection of Economics of Innovation, Industrial Economics and International Economics, with a particular focus on R&D, patenting, technology transfer, foreign direct investment and intellectual property rights.
Her research is particularly focused on understanding how innovation systems function and how policy frameworks influence technology development and diffusion. Her academic work is driven by a commitment to producing research that informs both policy and practice, especially in the context of developing economies.
Prof. Sharma has published research papers in international journals of repute, including Research Policy. She has received research grants from agencies such as ICSSR, DST, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education for research projects, GIAN courses, SPARC project and for the organization of workshops. She has organized reputed international conferences, including the 18th Annual Conference of Knowledge Forum and IndiaLics. She has also served as a member of national-level committees related to Science, Technology and Innovation.
Webpage Link: https://sites.google.com/iiti.ac.in/ruchisharma/home
Research & Publications Office to host seminar on ‘Understanding working of patents: Empirical evidence based on India’ on 13 March
The talk will be delivered by Prof. Ruchi Sharma, IIT Indore
6 March, 2026, Bengaluru: The Office of Research and Publications (R&P) will host a seminar on, ‘Understanding working of patents: Empirical evidence based on India’, to be led by Prof. Ruchi Sharma, IIT Indore (Strategy area), at 2.30 pm on 13th March 2026, in Classroom Q-001.
Abstract: The paper focuses on patents that are commercially worked or not based on novel dataset on working of patents from the Indian patent office. The information based on Form 27, mandated by Section-146 of the India Patents Act, is collated from the patent office website. This information is aligned with patent-level indicators representing ownership, technological complexity and quality, as well as their influence on the decision of patentees to work or not work the patent. On average, approximately 75% of patents are not in working status, with most of these patents belonging to non-residents. However, if a patent is owned by a resident, the marginal probability of working it increases by 17.2%. This result supports the argument that residents are actively using novel technologies. However, non-residents may find it challenging to work a technology away from home as they report prospective reasons for non-working of the patent. The findings have implications for theory and practice for patent policy in emerging countries like India. The researchers support the use of Form 27 as a tool to recognize commercialization challenges faced by patentees in India and to design relevant policy interventions.
Speaker Profile: Dr. Ruchi Sharma, IPR Chair Professor, is a faculty of Economics at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, where she leads the Innovation Studies Group.
She holds a PhD in Economics from IIT Kanpur. Her research interests lie at the intersection of Economics of Innovation, Industrial Economics and International Economics, with a particular focus on R&D, patenting, technology transfer, foreign direct investment and intellectual property rights.
Her research is particularly focused on understanding how innovation systems function and how policy frameworks influence technology development and diffusion. Her academic work is driven by a commitment to producing research that informs both policy and practice, especially in the context of developing economies.
Prof. Sharma has published research papers in international journals of repute, including Research Policy. She has received research grants from agencies such as ICSSR, DST, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education for research projects, GIAN courses, SPARC project and for the organization of workshops. She has organized reputed international conferences, including the 18th Annual Conference of Knowledge Forum and IndiaLics. She has also served as a member of national-level committees related to Science, Technology and Innovation.
Webpage Link: https://sites.google.com/iiti.ac.in/ruchisharma/home
