An invention can be the subject of a number of patent applications worldwide, in a variety of languages. Patent equivalents are a list of similar patent documents; with the same priority dates from throughout the world (for example see here). Searching for Indian patent equivalents is a herculean task! I’ve always wondered why Indian patents never featured in free online databases like WIPO’s Patentscope or EPO’s Espacenet. Thankfully that’s going to change. As reported by Business standard, Indian patents will soon be a part of European patent office huge database, which currently covers patent information of 90 countries!