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    DIPP sets up think tank to draft national Intellectual Property Rights policy

    Synopsis

    It will keep the government regularly informed about the developments taking place in IPR cases which have an impact upon India's IPR Policy, it said.

    ET Bureau
    NEW DELHI: The department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) has constituted a think tank on Intellectual Property Rights to draft a national IPR policy and advise the government on a range of patents related issues.

    The panel will also give its views on possible implications of demands placed by negotiating partner countries. This assumes significance especially since India and the US are trying to find a common ground on the prickly IPR issues in the working group to be set up under the bilateral trade policy forum. India’s IPR policies have come under attack from the US, with the latter picking holes and launching an out-of-cycle review of the country’s patents regime to protect innovation even as India maintains that its laws are in compliance with the World Trade Organisation’s rules.

    The think tank will highlight anomalies in the present IPR legislations and advise possible solutions to the commerce ministry, DIPP said in a release on Friday. The six-member panel will be headed by Justice Prabha Sridevan, former chairperson of the Intellectual Property Apellate Board and former judge of the Madras High Court. Other members include Prathiba Singh, senior advocate; Punita Bhargava, advocate, Inventure IP; Unnat Pandit, Cadila Pharmaceuticals; Rajeev Srinivasan, director, Asian school of business; and Narendra Sabharwal, retired DDG, WIPO.

    “The objective of the think tank is to cull out a road map for the IPR policy of the country. This think tank would advise the government on IPR related matter, review the existing policy and recommend changes if need be, and suggest reforms in the administrative set-up such as how to speed up processing of patent applications, among other measures,” Prathiba Singh told ET.

    The think tank will identify areas in IPR where study needs to be conducted and give recommendations to the ministry. In addition, it will regularly update the government about the developments in IPR cases that have a bearing on India’s IPR policy.

    The panel will also prepare periodic reports on best practices followed in foreign countries.

    DIPP will hold an inter-ministerial meeting next week to form a holistic policy on IPR. About eight ministries, including that of commerce, health, information and broadcasting, and telecom, will give recommendations on the framework for IPR policy that will also outline a strategy for commercialisation of patents.

    The US raised a number of concerns over India’s IPR regime in its annual special 301 report in April. While India is currently classified as ‘priority watch list’, following the out-of-cycle review the US could have classified the country as ‘priority foreign country’, which is US Trade Representative’s most damaging classification that can trigger trade sanctions.


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