India opens its doors – are Norwegian companies ready?

A new trade agreement between Norway and India makes the path shorter than ever for Norwegian companies that want to grow internationally. Tariff barriers are lowered and cooperation is strengthened.

The agreement, concluded through EFTA (European Free Trade Association), gives Norwegian exporters and investors better access to the huge Indian market. This is a rare opportunity to expand business in an economy that is growing faster than most others in the world. (Source: Norwegian Embassy in India).

Intellectual property law

The trade agreement includes regulation of intellectual property rights, which gives Norwegian businesses increased legal certainty when establishing themselves in the Indian market.

The Parties recognize and undertake to protect:

• patents

• trademarks

• design

• trade secrets

• copyright and related rights

• protection of plant varieties

• geographical indications and indications of origin

Indian companies are betting heavily on patents

Indian companies are investing heavily in innovation – and it shows. In 2023, a total of 58,502 patent applications were filed in India. 24,936 of these came from Indian inventors and companies. This is a sharp increase compared to previous years, and shows how quickly India is developing new technology.

India is particularly strong in pharmaceuticals. Between 2019 and 2021, a whopping 15.5% of all patent applications were for drugs and pharmaceutical technology. This was followed by organic chemistry (13.2%) and biotechnology (7.7%).

Patent applications to India from Indian and foreign applicants 2014-2023. From WIPO's website.

Trademark protection is strong in India

India has a very active market for trademarks. In 2023, 486,355 trademark applications were filed, and a full 95.7% of them were from Indian applicants. This shows an active domestic market with strong brand awareness. The most searched product classes are pharmaceuticals (14.8%), advertising and promotional products (10.1%), clothing, footwear and headgear (7.7%), coffee, tea and food products (5.5%) and cosmetics (4.9%).

Trademark applications to India from Indian and foreign applicants 2014-2023. From WIPO's website.

Large increase in design applications

In 2023, 20,104 design applications were registered in India. In recent years, there has been a clear increase in design applications. The most applications are related to clothing (12%), medical and laboratory equipment (11.5%), means of transport (9.8%), machinery (8%) and watches and clocks (6.1%).

Design applications to India from Indian and foreign applicants 2014-2023. From WIPO's website.

Source: https://www.patentstyret.no/en/articles/india-opens-its-doors-are-norwegian-companies-ready