The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the continuation of the Plan scheme to modernise and strengthen Intellectual Property (IP) offices during the 12th Plan period. The total project cost would be Rs.309.6 crore, out of which Rs.258 crore will be utilised during 12th Plan and the rest Rs.51.6 crore in the 13th Plan.
The implementation of the scheme will fortify the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM). It would help augment the number of filings of IP applications. It will also address the growing international commitments due to the commissioning of the Madrid Protocol and status of International Search Authority (ISA) / International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA).
Under the 12th Plan which spans between 2012 and2017, the focus would be on enhancement of human resources, upgradation of IT and database, construction of buildings, improvement in library facilities and sensitisation and awareness creation on Intellectual Property Right matters.
According to Bindu Sharma, founder & chief executive officer, Origiin IP Solutions LLP, CCEA has done the right thing by approving the allocation. This expenditure is essential to maintain a healthy IP regime in India. With IP awareness increasing in India, the number patents, trademarks and other IP filings also have consistently increased over the past few years. If Indian IP regime has to earn recognition and respect internationally the quality of services provided by the Indian IP offices should also be world-class.
“The Indian IP offices have to be better equipped, better staffed and better managed to deliver services of international standards. It is about time that the Indian IP offices possess infrastructure to equip themselves to meet these demands. This allocation should only gradually increase to keep up with the trend in IP filings and IP activity in India,” Sharma told Pharmabiz.
During the 11th Five Year Plan of 2007-2012, the key achievements included the construction of new complex for IP archives and TM registry at Ahmedabad, construction of an International Search Authority/International Preliminary Examining Authority (ISA/IPEA) building at New Delhi, creation of state of the art Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure such as Data centre, high end servers, digitisation of IP records, comprehensive e-filing facility for Patents and Trademarks, subscription to Patent and non Patent database, filling up of new posts created under the plan training of personnel and conduct of awareness programmes.
In 2013, Indian pharma and biotech industry was granted 476 patents and published patent applications were 6,455.
The increasing importance of intellectual property in a globalised economic environment has placed greater demand on the IP institutional structure in the country. The accession to the Madrid Protocol on April 8, 2013 and its commissioning from 8th July, 2013 along with the assigning of CGPDTM as International Search Authority and International Preliminary Examining Authority (ISA/IPEA) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty from October 15 2013 are seen to foster growth prospects and increase in workload, calling to increase the need for modernisation and to strengthen the operations, viewed the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs while allocating the funds under the XII Plan and monitoring its progress of project.