The Union Chemicals Ministry has allocated Rs 20 lakh to the Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) for setting up an IPR Cell in Hyderabad to provide IPR related information to the industry, especially the small and medium scale units. The ministry has also promised a grant of Rs 1crore each year from next financial year for the working of the Cell.

The setting up of a special IPR (intellectual property rights) Cell will prove to be a big relief to the pharmaceutical industries, especially the small and medium industries who wanted to export their products to such countries where the IPR related issues prevailing there are not readily available. In the absence of knowledge about the laws prevailing in these exporting nations, the companies very often land up in infringement of laws which lead to prolonged legal battle which the small and medium companies cannot afford.

Though the big companies can afford to set up their own IPR cells in their individual companies, the small and medium companies may not be able to set up such cells due to financial constraints. The IPR Cell in the Pharmexcil will come to the rescue of such companies by disseminating information regarding the IPR in each and every exporting country.

However, there should not be any misconception about the role of the IPR Cell that it will be helping the members in filing patents in other countries. It will not help anybody file the patents, but will simply guide the members about the processed to be followed while trading with other countries so that they do not land up in any IPR related issues, Pharmexcil chairman Venkat Jasti said.

The Pharmexcil will be setting up the Cell in Hyderabad very soon and it has already received Rs 20 lakh from the Chemicals Ministry for setting up the IPR cell. The ministry has also promised Rs 1 crore every year for the working of the cell, Jasti added.

Apart from disseminating all needed information regarding the IPR in other countries, the IPR Cell will also conduct awareness programmes like seminars in major cities so that the industry will get a first-hand information on IPR relates issues prevailing in other countries.