India has ensured the cooperation of the patent offices of Korea, EU, Japan and US in strengthening the intellectual property regulatory capabilities of the country. It has also successfully sought the help of the Patent Academy of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in the exercise.

Informing this, Dr Ajay Dua, secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry said that these offices are imparting training to Indian patent examiners. The international exposure of the newly recruited patent examiners would add to the capabilities of the patent office, he felt.

Delivering the key note address at an international seminar on 'the strategic use of intellectual property for economic and social development' here, Dr Dua said that the world class infrastructure, coupled with strengthened human resources would enable the patent office to clear a patent application within three to four years instead of the current 8 - 10 years time.

The government is also completing the patent office modernisation process in all major cities of the country. The patent office at Mumbai is being strengthened as part of the ongoing modernisation programme, turning functional next month, in March. With this, all four metros are to have state-of-the-art patent offices capable of speedy handling of IP applications, he explained.

Dr Dua hinted at the government plans to set up a national academy for intellectual property in Delhi. The new institute will function as a policy think-tank to advise the government on policy matters. It will also undertake research on IP and function as a training centre for IP managers, advocates and other professionals concerned. The five-day seminar is organised by WIPO in cooperation with the DIPP and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Delegates from over 25 countries are participating in the seminar. Sherif Saadallah, executive director, WIPO and Onkar S. Kanwar, immediate past president, FICCI spoke during the inaugural session.