Take advantage of industrial infra scheme, M'rashtra told

Union minister for commerce and industry Kamal Nath has asked the Maharashtra government to take advantage of the Centre-sponsored industrial infrastructure scheme for common infrastructure facilities in new industrial estates and said he was willing to support the state government for getting due clearances from his ministry.

Kamal Nath was speaking after laying the foundation stone for the proposed National Institute of Intellectual Property Management (NIIPM) being set up by the Centre with an outlay of Rs 22 crore here.

The NIIPM is expected to cater to the needs of the intellectual property (IP) regime in line with global norms. At the same time it will work to safeguard national interests.

Kamal Nath said the Centre was offering the industrial infrastructure scheme for industrialising the new zones and expected Maharashtra to take advantage of it.

Speaking on the NIIPM he said the functions of the institute will encompass training, and education and research. It will also work as a think-tank of the government on important IP policy matters.

It will conduct training programmes for examiners of patents, designs, trademarks and geographical indications, IP professionals such as agents, attorneys and lawyers, and IP managers in business enterprise and research organisations.

"I see a big potential for these functionaries in a globalised economy. The institute will be state-of-the-art and will arm its students with knowledge that will come handy in the new economy," Kamal Nath said.

The institute's curriculum will be designed for government officials, enforcement agencies such as the police and customs officers, judicial officers and for academics.

The institute will provide inputs based on analytical and empirical research to facilitate government decision-making in IP policy and legislation.

Spread over 3,010 square metres the complex will include lecture halls, faculty rooms, conference room, library and other requirements of a training-cum-research institution.

Kamal Nath said the government had recently completed the implementation of Rs 153 crore modernisation programme in the first phase of setting up the infrastructure for the IP regime.

This has seen the establishment of modern integrated intellectual property offices at the four metros - Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.

Computerisation had been introduced at all levels of functioning of the IP offices resulting in an increase in patents and trademark applications as well as grants.

Kamal Nath said the government was planning to invest another Rs 300 crore in the next five years on further modernisation of IP offices to make them world class.

It had moved an application with the World Intellectual Property Organisation to recognise the Indian Patent Offices as an International Search Authority and an International Preliminary Examining Authority under the Patent Cooperation Treaty.

On the trade side, India is planning to become a member of the Madrid protocol, a facilitative system for international trade marks, he informed.