Govt charts steps to protect India’s patent rights

NEW DELHI: Indian films, music and the pharma sector can look forward to better intellectual property rights (IPRs) protection as the government is planning to turn the country into an IPR hub. Setting up of a top notch think-tank for research & development in IPRs is on the cards to beef up India’s position in negotiating global treaties on key aspects of protecting patents, trademarks, copyrights and geographical indications (GIs).

Examination of IPR applications is also being upgraded by getting Indian professionals share global expertise, especially from countries like the US. The government is also in the process of networking patents and trademarks offices in the four metros.

Initiatives to turn India into an IPR hub are being piloted by the department of industrial policy & promotion (DIPP). The government has already tied up with Max Plank Institute of Munich and the Australian Patent Institute for developing a IPR management institute.
With ground realities in IPR management for key segments like films, music and pharma in mind, the proposed institute would work as a R&D institution as well as policy think-tank.

While the institution would also carry out sponsored R&D in specific areas for the industry, it will also provide critical inputs to the government for talks at global fora like the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Infrastructure is being beefed up to ensure a strong IPR regime, DIPP secretary Ajay Dua said. When contacted by ET, he said a Rs.130-crore project is now underway to network the patent offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata.

The current moves of the government would give India a totally different image from the days when multinationals used to express concern over IPR protection here. Having introduced product patents and exhibited that implementation is much better in India than many other major markets, the government now wants to develop a pro-IPR image for India. This would help Indian companies engaged in R&D, apart from encouraging multinationals to invest here.

The government has witnessed a five-fold increase in patent applications and human resources are being developed to meet the increasing demand for IPR protection. India has signed agreements with significant players like the US and the EU to share expertise.