Fake patents are poisoning India’s race for academic excellence, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• A concerning trend of ‘fake patents’ involves education companies selling U.K. registered designs to academics, primarily from India.
• These are actually design registrations in the U.K., granted quickly without rigorous examination for novelty or innovation, unlike actual patents.
• Academics use these to falsely claim "international patents" for career advancement, despite no original invention or existing device.
• A report identified eight firms involved in selling inventorship positions, largely targeting Indian academics for academic reputation manipulation.
• This unethical practice is driven by academic assessment systems that heavily rely on quantitative metrics and rankings.

Detailed Insights:

• Unlike stringent patents, design registrations in the U.K. cover only the aesthetic "look" of an object, not its functionality or novelty.
• Academics are buying ownership positions on these design registrations, which are often granted in about 11 days.
• "Shady companies" facilitate the sale of authorship for non-existing entities, allowing academics to gain academic points.
• The problem is exacerbated by India's large population seeking education, the use of quantitative metrics without quality assessment, and the reliance of ranking agencies on such parameters.
• Many private Indian universities have been filing thousands of utility patents, often more than IITs combined, but with less than 2% actually being granted.
• Proposed solutions include stopping institutional rankings based solely on quantitative data and assessing only patents used by industry.
• Stronger mechanisms are needed to identify and respond to scientific misconduct, and agencies brokering fake patents should be held accountable.
• Research funders like Anusandhan National Research Foundation and regulators are exploring using retractions as indicators of research quality.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Design Registration: A form of intellectual property protecting the visual appearance or aesthetic features of a product, often granted with minimal review.
• Utility Patent: A type of patent that protects the functional aspects of an invention, such as how it works or its composition, requiring rigorous examination for novelty and non-obviousness.
• Academic Integrity: A moral code or ethical policy of academia, supporting honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage in all academic work.
• Research Misconduct: Fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results.