The Hindu Business Line : ‘Experts must clear confusion with regard to IPR laws’

Kolkata, July 6 Citing lack of awareness to Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in the context of nation’s interests as a major issue, the West Bengal IT Minister, Dr Debesh Das, today urged the professionals engaged in IPR (trademarks, copyrights, patents and Internet commerce & cyber laws) to clear the general IPR–related confusion in the minds of many, especially with regard to software as a product.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the national workshop organised jointly by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Institute of Company Secretaries of India on IPR and related issues, the Minister said Indian Copyright laws too needed many changes to address the emerging issues with regard to intellectual property.

He also called for intensive R&D efforts to tackle the critical security aspects of IP. In this context, he said the plan to set up a full-fledged Indian Institute of Information Technology in West Bengal was moving forward, with the Union HRD Minister, Mr Arjun Singh, agreeing to consider the proposal.

Asked by newspersons to comment on the development, Dr Das said Mr Singh, in a recent communication, has given an assurance that such a national institute could be considered under the 11th Plan programme.

Inaugurating the workshop, the Governor of Meghalaya, Mr B.L.Joshi, said since creativity and innovation were the new drivers of world economy today, intellectual capital, touching broad areas, has a very special role to play in this regard. He described IP as a knowledge-based dynamic tool for wealth creation for both individuals and industry.

Making a presentation on the three ‘Cs’ of IPR, namely how to “Create, Capture Communicate Value”, particularly the aspect of “IPRs – Scope of Rights and Enforcement”, Mr Aditya Sondhi, a Bangalore-based attorney specialising in IPR litigation, said while the scope of IPR now stood vastly expanded, the enforcement issues were still a bother.

Citing the issue of contracts as a critical development in IPR, he said that arbitration could be an effective mechanism to resolve the problem, provided of course the arbitration provisions in law could be tweaked sufficiently to make the awards more enforceable.

He felt the core deficiencies in the arbitration law with regard to enforcement should be addressed to make it more effective in IPR matters.

He suggested that combined efforts should be made by all players – chambers of commerce, judiciary, academics and the law-makers.

More Stories on : IPR | West Bengal | Courts/Legal Issues

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