An unsettling trend is taking root in Indian academia. Companies are peddling U.K. design registrations as “fake patents” to inflate researchers' academic profiles. This practice,questioning research integrity, surfaced in report from the International Journal of Educational Integrity. Authors from U.K. and U.S. flagged eight companies targeting Indian academics looking to boost reputations.
These aren't like traditional patents. Those undergo rigorous checks for novelty,innovation. Design registrations? Often approved in 11 days without deep examination. Subhash Lakhotia,professor at Banaras Hindu University,said true patents involve commercial use applications. Many filed never see industry use. He called “fake patents” “non-existing entities,” peddled by shady firms to recognition-hungry academics.
Such companies play on ranking systems that favor quantity over quality,tempting researchers into unethical behavior. The report noted the “fake patents” boom mirrors fraudulent research publications' rise — both threaten scientific inquiry's integrity. Reese Richardson,postdoc at Northwestern and study co-author,said academics buying these think they're getting real patents .
Richardson noted these academics end up with mere ownership of design registrations,which cover product aesthetics,not functionality. This misrepresentation lets them claim an “international patent,” aiding career moves .
Problem's worse in India,where three factors fuel it: large population chasing education,quantitative performance metrics reliance,and ranking agencies' metric use. Anant Bhan,adjunct professor at Yenepoya University,said India's competitive environment makes unethical practices tempting.
With patent demand rising,many private Indian universities file numerous utility patents,often outpacing the Indian Institutes of Technology . Yet,less than 2% get granted,raising more integrity concerns.
Experts say urgent action's needed. Lakhotia calls for stopping institutional rankings based on data quantity,arguing patent filing alone shouldn't count. Only industry-used patents should factor,he said.
To tackle this,Bhan urges stronger oversight,mechanisms to spot scientific misconduct. He stresses ethical training in academic programs to curb fraud. Richardson suggests University Grants Commission rethink intellectual property metrics' weight in rankings,clarifying design registrations,copyrights shouldn't factor.
As long as success ties to metrics,the fake patent market will persist,undermining real progress . The challenge: reform systems enabling these practices…
