India's academics using 11-day UK design registrations as patents
Technology
A recent study has uncovered a troubling trend in India's academic scene: some firms are selling quick U.K.-design registrations to researchers, who then claim these as international patents.
These so-called "patents" are approved in just 11 days, with no checks for originality or real prototypes: basically, they're just about looks.
Eight firms linked to fake patents
Eight firms have been linked to this fake patent market, helping academics boost their resumes and university rankings without genuine research.
Experts like Prof. Subhash Lakhotia and Dr. Anant Bhan are urging big changes (removing patent counts from rankings and tightening oversight) to protect the integrity of Indian research.