To assist micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in protecting their ideas and business strategies effectively, the ministry of MSMEs of Union government has revived the Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre (IPFC) at Chandigarh for the benefit of units in Punjab and Chandigarh.
In 2014-15, the centre intends to restart its awareness campaign by organising intellectual property rights (IPRs) sensitisation workshops for sports goods industrial cluster at Jalandhar and Hosiery Cluster in Amritsar in November 2014.
IPFC for MSMEs was set up in Patent Information Centre (PIC) of Punjab State Council for Science & Technology (PSCST), in August, 2009 by the Ministry of MSMEs. The major objectives of the centre was to enhance awareness of MSMEs of Punjab about IPRs so that they may take measures for protecting their ideas and business strategies effectively, utilise IPR tools for technology upgradation and improve market value of their companies.
However, these activities were undertaken from August, 2009 to March, 2011 and the centre was inactive thereafter due to certain administrative problems. The centre facilitated the filing of 8 patents, 20 trademarks, 10 industrial designs and 3 copyrights for different MSMEs of Punjab.
Speaking to Business Standard, Gurharminder Singh, senior scientific officer and incharge, PIC, said, "Considering the need of MSMEs, the IPFC centre has been revived to serve to the IP needs of MSMEs," he said.
We intend to restart its awareness campaign by organising IPR Sensitisation Workshops for sports goods industrial cluster at Jalandhar and Hosiery Cluster in Amritsar in the month of November 2014."
On being asked about the activities, He said, "We identified 18 industrial clusters in Punjab for undertaking various IPR Awareness activities and conducting pilot study on IPR needs of the cluster and providing solutions based on technology analysis of the particular problem with respect to patent information in the area. The centre has been actively involved in creating awareness on IPRs among the industrial clusters and facilitation of filing of various IPRs for MSMEs. We conducted eight IPR sensitisation workshops in association with different industrial associations of the state at Ludhiana, Mohali, Jalandhar, Patiala, Mandi Gobindgarh, Sangrur, Moga, wherein more than 700 participants from different industrial clusters were sensitised."
"In addition to these cluster specific workshops, the IPFC, PSCST had set up a help desk at Ludhiana for taking care of the practical problems of the industry related to IPR issues. IPFC also trained cluster development executives (CDEs) and general manager of district industry centres, nominated as Nodal IP Officers for their respective districts, to make them well equipped on IPR issues so that they may help industry on IPR matters at their local level,' he said.
