Intellectual Property

Intellectual property guidelines are being revamped, with efforts directed at bringing Indian regulations to global standard

The Indian patent office has cautioned people against fraudsters who are collecting data and status of IP (intellectual property) applications from the website and seeking money to facilitate those applications. "It is, therefore, advised to all the stakeholders who are applying or may have applied for any type of IP applications (i.e. Patents, Designs, Trade Marks, GIs (geographical indications), Designs or Copyright) that they should not fall prey to such false claims and pay any money against these claims," the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks has said in a public notice. It said that these applications are processed strictly as per provisions of law and this office has zero tolerance for any such unethical practices. In case such claims are made to any stakeholder, the same may also be brought to the attention of this office, it said. "It has come to our notice that many fraudsters are collecting data and status of IP applications from our off

India has secured a spot in the global top-10 for all three major intellectual property (IP) rights -- patents, trademarks, and industrial designs, the commerce and industry ministry said on Tuesday. It said India ranked fourth globally in trademark filings, with a 6.1 per cent increase in 2023. "Nearly 90 per cent of these filings were by residents, with key sectors, including health, agri, and clothing leading the way. India's trademark office holds the second-largest number of active registrations worldwide, with over 3.2 million trademarks in force, reflecting the country's strong position in global brand protection, it said. "The findings from WIPO's (World Intellectual Property Organization) World Intellectual Property Indicators 2024 showcase India's advancements in innovation and IP," it added.

Exporters invest lots of time, effort and money in finding customers and developing products to meet the requirements of the buyers

They also sought simplification of transfer pricing regime and tweaking of Customs duty on certain products

Members of Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have concluded an agreement under which it will be mandatory for patent applicants to disclose country of origin or source of genetic resources if the claimed invention is based on those materials or associated traditional knowledge. The treaty will provide additional protection for Indian genetic resources and traditional knowledge. Although these are currently protected within India, they are prone to misappropriation in countries, which do not have disclosure obligations. The current patent legislation does not have a mandatory provision requiring patent applicants to disclose the country of origin or source in case where the invention is based on genetic resources. At present, only 35 countries have some form of disclosure obligations, most of which are not mandatory and do not have appropriate sanctions or remedies in place for effective implementation. The new treaty was adopted on May 24 at the WIPO ...

World Intellectual Property Day 2024: The world celebrates World Intellectual Property Day on April 26 aiming to spread awareness about IP rights and encourage innovation and creativity

Six other countries such as China, Russia, Indonesia, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela continue to remain in the list

India remains "one of the world's most challenging" major economies with respect to the protection and enforcement of intellectual property (IP), the Biden Administration said on Thursday as it placed the country on the Priority Watch List on its 2024 Special 301 Report. India along with Argentina, Chile, China, Indonesia, Russia and Venezuela have been placed on the 2024 Special 301 Report on the adequacy and effectiveness of US trading partners' protection and enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights released by the US Trade Representative. These countries will be the subject of particularly intense bilateral engagement during the coming year, USTR said. USTR removed the Dominican Republic from the Watch List this year. The Special 301 Report is an annual review of the global state of IP protection and enforcement. While there has been progress under the US-India Trade Policy Forum in addressing certain issues with trademark infringement investigations and pre-grant ...

As countries cavil over specific clauses in a draft pandemic treaty, there is good reason to fear that the document will be whittled down so much that it becomes useless

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Commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal on Thursday said that there is no free trade agreement (FTA) in which India will go against the generic drug industry

Leaked IP chapter suggests potential hindrance to affordable medicine production

The Indian Patent Office has granted a "record" 75,000 patents in the last 10 months and it reflects India's ability to innovate, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday. Interacting with innovators and entrepreneurs on the eve of the 75th Republic Day here, the minister also said that 40,000 compliances have either been eliminated or simplified to ease the burden on entrepreneurs. "The Indian Patent Office has granted a record 75,000 patents in the last 10 months," he said, adding the government is making it easier to do business and make it less burdensome to meet the requirements of the law and comply with rules and procedures. There has been a significant push to reduce the burden of criminalisation of many laws regarding business in India and the Jan Vishwas law was the first step in that direction and gave the comfort to people and businessmen that the government trusts them, he said. "If you make a small mistake, you do not have to worry about criminal ...

India has the potential to create artificial intelligence models and applications that can be used across the world, especially in the Global South, a senior government official said on Thursday. While speaking at the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Summit 2023, Ministry of Electronics and IT Secretary S Krishnan said there is a need to develop more models, which are suited to the Global South and all other countries compared to existing models. He said that existing AI models are based on limited databases and therefore have their inherent biases. "This being the case, what India has the potential to do and what India has the potential to offer to the world is the possibility of developing AI models, developing AI applications, which can be used across the world, especially in the Global South," Krishnan said. He said whether it is in the area of agriculture, healthcare, education, or translation of languages, India has the potential to develop AI-based digita

Focus on design and creation of IP is crucial to India's ambitions as a product nation, IT Secretary S Krishnan on Thursday said, exhorting electronics products designers in the country to prioritise aspects such as inclusivity, aesthetics, and user experience in designing products for wider audiences. Design elements add substantial value to products, particularly in the electronics and digital space, Krishnan said while addressing the '23rd India Design Summit and Awards' organised by CII and World Design Organisation. Citing an example of just how important design elements are in the digital era, he said in case of a USD 1,000 iPhone, about USD 250 is paid to vendors while a substantial amount is retained by the designers in Cupertino. Referring to the Apple manufacturing ecosystem in India, he said, "Today, we are aiming that about 20-25 per cent at least of Apple iPhones are made in India at some point or the other, and if you look at the value addition which takes place in ...

On trademark filings, India was in the top four with 467,918 filings in 2022, behind the US, Turkey, and Germany

India's Global Innovation Index ranking has improved 26 places from 66th in 2013 to 40th in 2023

Mulls steps to ease setting up holdcos, Spacs

America recognises India's enormous intellectual capital, and integrating India with the manufacturing ecosystem in core sectors like semiconductor will be key, according to policy thinktank founder Guruprasad Sowle. He said that the US is no longer looking at India only as a destination for services. Sowle, who heads Indus International Research Foundation (IIRF), had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his state visit to the US in June. "Even if it means transfer of technology from US to India, gradually that will happen because there are certain technologies that America was not really forthcoming in terms of sharing but after this visit by the Prime Minister, there is a considerable shift towards manufacturing in India," Sowle said. He noted that there was a paradigm shift where the US is no longer seeing India only as a destination for services. "They are seeing India to step up in core sectors, especially aerospace and defence, automotive, healthcare, artificial intellig