 "Ahead of Modi's US visit: Govt says will hammer out IPR policy")
“We will come up with a policy on IPR and patent rights … We are strong in IPR and we will protect our national interest. IPR has been hanging for a very long. There has always been a factor of national interest. We are not going to be regressed or restrictive. India has a well-established IPR regime, but it is important to spell out a policy,” Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the media here on Monday.
Asked why the government had suddenly decided to roll out a policy in this regard, she said it was imperative for India to have an overarching policy on intellectual property for a legitimate fight with countries that raised questions on the IPR regime here. She added in the absence of a formal policy, India hadn’t been able to move in a “forceful way” in dealing with IPR issues. “When there is a policy, there is consistency and more rigour to move ahead.”
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Amitabh Kant, secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, said the government was keen on upgrading the IPR regime and the patent office. “We will be clearing the backlog and the pending patent applications. The filings have gone up substantially,” he added.
The Centre is planning to bring out a draft IPR policy within four months. Debates and discussions on this will be carried out for two months, after which a formal policy will be unveiled. The commerce ministry will also set up a think tank on IPR issues.
India and the US have been engaged in a bitter row over IPR and patents, especially in the pharmaceuticals sector. While successive Indian governments have reiterated that the country’s IPR laws are compliant with trading rules under the World Trade Organization, the US has been vociferous in saying the patent laws here are in violation of global norms.
On allowing foreign direct investment into multi-brand retailing, Sitharaman said the government’s stand of not allowing this remained firm. She said currently, there was no pending application in this regard from any global multi-brand retailer, adding, therefore, there was no question of taking a decision on the matter at this stage.
In its annual index, the Global Intellectual Property Centre of the US Chamber of Commerce ranked India the lowest, accusing it of having the “weakest” IP environment.
On allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) into the multi-brand retail segment, Sitharaman said the government’s stand of not allowing this remained firm. She said currently, there was no pending application in this regard from any global multi-brand retailer, adding, therefore, there was no question of taking a decision on the matter at this stage.
The minister also refuted claims the government was allowing FDI into the multi-brand retail sector through the backdoor by allowing foreign investors to enter India through e-commerce.