Startup IP benefits in India · The complete 2026 guide

The government already cut your fees.
Claim it.

DPIIT-recognised startups pay up to 80% lower official IP fees and can fast-track patent examination from years to months. Most founders claim none of it. Here is every benefit, who qualifies, and how each one is claimed.

Startup IP benefits in India, in one paragraph: DPIIT-recognised startups pay ₹1,600 instead of ₹8,000 to e-file a patent, ₹4,000 instead of ₹20,000 for examination, and can jump the queue under Rule 24C for grant in as little as 1–2 years. Trademarks cost ₹4,500 per class instead of ₹9,000. Companies that don't qualify as startups often unlock the same reductions through MSME/Udyam small-entity status — and all of it is claimed through DPIIT recognition plus Form 28 at filing.
The full set

All 5 startup IP benefits in India

Benefit 1 · Patents

Up to 80% off official patent fees

DPIIT-recognised startups and individuals pay the natural-person scale: ₹1,600 to e-file against ₹8,000 for a company, with the same pattern across examination and renewals.

Benefit 2 · Rule 24C

Expedited examination

Startups (and small entities, women applicants and others) can request expedited examination — grant in as little as 1–2 years instead of 3–5. For a deeptech company raising on the strength of its IP, the single most valuable benefit on the books.

Benefit 3 · Trademarks

Half-fee trademark filing

₹4,500 per class instead of ₹9,000 for startups, individuals and small enterprises — per class, per mark, so a two-class filing saves ₹9,000 by itself.

Benefit 4 · Designs

Reduced design fees

Design registration at the natural-person/startup scale from ₹1,000 — the cheapest registered right in Indian IP gets cheaper still.

Benefit 5 · MSME route

No DPIIT recognition? Use Udyam

Small-entity status through Udyam registration unlocks comparable reductions for companies that don't meet the startup definition. We check both routes for every client.

What it means in rupees

Startup vs large-entity official fees (e-filing, 2026)

ItemStartup / IndividualOther entities
Patent application₹1,600₹8,000
Request for examination₹4,000₹20,000
Expedited examination (Rule 24C)₹8,000₹60,000
Trademark application (per class)₹4,500₹9,000
Design application₹1,000₹4,000

Per the current First Schedules; figures verified against ipindia.gov.in at quote time. A typical AI startup filing one patent (expedited) and one two-class trademark saves over ₹80,000 in official fees alone by claiming startup status correctly.

The paperwork that unlocks it

How each benefit is actually claimed

DPIIT recognition — the gateway: under 10 years old, turnover below ₹100 crore, working on innovation. Applied online; we guide clients through it in days.

Form 28 — the form that attaches your startup/small-entity status to a patent application. Miss it and you pay large-entity fees regardless of eligibility — the most common money-on-the-table error we see in transferred files.

Rule 24C request — filed with the examination request, with proof of eligible status. We file it for every eligible client as standard.

0
Maximum official-fee reduction
0
Benefits, all claimed as standard
0
Possible grant time under Rule 24C
0
Extra charge for claiming them with us
Facilitation schemes — the current position: government schemes supporting startup IP facilitation have operated in various forms since 2016 and continue to evolve; the SIPP scheme is presently awaiting renewal. This page is kept updated with the live position — whatever support is in force at your filing date, we apply it.

Two minutes to check your eligibility.

Tell us your incorporation date, turnover band and what you're filing — we'll confirm which benefits apply, free, within 24 hours. Every quote we issue already includes them.

    Send Us Your Enquiry

    Fill in the form below and our team will respond within 24 hours.

    Prefer chat? WhatsApp us.

    Scroll to Top