Several initiatives are being taken up to clear backlogs of trademark applications at the Trademark Registry. In one such initiative, several trademark examiners have been recruited. The increase in the number of examiners will certainly help in clearing some of the backlog, and expediting the examination process of newly filed trademark applications. However, improvement in efficiency in the operations of the Trademark Registry as a result of this initiative will certainly take considerable time.

Given the uproar by the international community about the slow processing of trademark applications in India, the Registry is hard pressed to show results in the short term. One of the ways to showcase improvement efficiency is by decreasing the number of backlog applications. In an effort to decrease this number, the Registry ordered abandonment of over hundred and fifty thousand applications in March 2016, alleging that applicants of these applications had not responded to examination reports. The Registry had to retract from its order considering that the facts stated by the Registry were not entirely correct.

Subsequently, the Registry dispatched examination reports for over 13000 applications, out of which the Registry alleges, it has not received reply for 9578 applications. The Registry, by way of notification dated July 11, 2016 has informed that these applications will be abandoned if reply is not received by July 31, 2016. The 9578 applications, which are likely to be abandoned, have been listed in the Registry’s journal.

The relevant portion of the journal can be accessed here 

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