Commerce & Industry Minister Anand Sharma, in a farewell letter to US Trade Representative Mike Froman, has called for development of a better perspective of India’s intellectual property regime and the revival of the bilateral trade policy forum.
Sharma also sent letters to the World Trade Organisation Director General Roberto Azevedo, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde and the US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker in his last week in office.
“I must state that we need to develop a better perspective of India’s Intellectual Property Regime both in terms of prevailing policy and its enforcement,” Sharma said in his letter to Froman, alluding to the sharp criticism that India’s intellectual property laws have been receiving from the US.
The trade policy forum has served as a useful platform for resolution of outstanding bilateral disputes and needs to be rejuvenated, he added.