NEW DELHI — Alleging serious breaches of national interest, the All India Patent Officers Association has moved the Supreme Court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into a potential data leak from the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) to a foreign multinational firm, Kaizen Institute. The officers claimed that the firm was granted unauthorized access to sensitive internal patent data servers without official approvals or oversight.
The petition warns that such access could lead to premature exposure of unpublished patent applications—many of which pertain to sectors of national importance, including pharmaceuticals, defense, energy, and strategic engineering innovations.
“This is not merely a breach of administrative protocol. It could potentially alter the balance of innovation, trade, and industrial competitiveness for India,” the Association noted.
Ramifications Beyond the Patent Office
According to the petition, Kaizen Institute, which operates in over 60 countries and serves a broad client base across pharmaceuticals, healthcare, oil and gas, chemicals, automobiles, FMCG, and textiles, may have gained entry into unpublished data involving critical and proprietary innovations. The leak, it claims, could result in unfair advantages for foreign competitors and industrial espionage.
The association said, “Unauthorized disclosures risk being exploited for economic and strategic gains, leaving Indian innovators and national industry exposed to global manipulation.”
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The petition named the Controller General of Patents, Designs, and Trademarks (CGPDTM), as well as officials from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), including Unnat P. Pandit, raising serious questions about procedural lapses and accountability.
Allegations of Corruption, Collusion, and Institutional Failure
Relying on documents obtained through the Right to Information Act, public records, and internal communications, the association alleged that access was granted to Kaizen without any traceable administrative order or clearance.
“This strongly suggests a coordinated abuse of official authority and violation of the Patents Act, Prevention of Corruption Act, and the Indian Penal Code,” the petition argued.
The officers pointed to a pattern of administrative negligence that not only compromised the sanctity of the patent examination process but could also allow trade secrets to be siphoned off by unauthorized entities, possibly for unlawful financial and strategic benefits.
The petition demands urgent judicial scrutiny into how private players gained access to confidential innovation records and calls for prosecution of those who enabled it.