The western zone comprises Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra and the union territories of Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Total applications filed in the region were 767, including 132 applications from foreigners. Countries including the United States, Japan, Canada, Germany and Korea filed the maximum number of applications.

Among the states, maximum applications, numbering 550, were filed in Maharashtra, followed by Gujarat (60) and Madhya Pradesh (22). Other patent applications filed last year included food (42), electrical engineering (power, numbering 41), electrical engineering (telecommunications, numberung 30), textile technology (25), medical equipments(18), agriculture engineering (5), civil engineering (6), solar technology (7) and transmission engineering (1). Miscellaneous applications totalled 50.

Till February 1998, 41 applications for patenting in mechanical engineering were received in the region, followed by 21 applications for chemicals. Sixteen applications were filed by foreigners in the first two months of the current year.

"We have been receiving more applications from abroad than in India, while there has been a slow but gradual increase in the number of applications filed by Indians," said an official from the Patent office.

For instance, the total applications filed by Indians in 1996-97 was 1,661, as against 1,606 in the previous year. The total applications filed in 1996-97 totalled 8,562, of which nearly 80 per cent (6,901) were from foreigners. In 1995-96, of the total 7,036 applications, 5,430 were from foreigners and the rest from Indians.

Surprisingly, there has been a 40 per cent fall in the number of patents granted during1996-97 to 900 from 1,533 in the previous year. These included 282 (470 in 1995-96) chemical patents, 71 (132) drug patents, 18 (34) food patents, 54 (56) electrical patents, 140 (159) technical patents and 342 (682) patents in the general category. "Owing to a staff shortage, it takes at least four years to examine the application and another year after that to finally grant a patent," the official said.

According to him, the government has completely sidelined the Patents' office. "For the last two years, the government has failed to fill up the vacancy of the Comptroller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks", he said adding that the Patents' office is also lagging in computerisation. The applications for patents filed during 1996-97 included 1,969 in chemical, 1,124 for patenting drugs, 121 for food, 1,677 for electrical, 1,659 for mechanical and 2,015 general applications.