People in India grapple way too much with issues in daily life to be able to give themselves the time to explore, innovate and invent. At a conference on Intellectual Property Rights, conducted by the PHD Chambers of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), the organisation's Co-Chairman of the MSME Committee said this was the reason why despite there being no dearth of talent and curiosity in the youth of India, their daily-life struggles hardly leave them with the capacity to invent. "America registers the largest number of patents every year. And that's because their normal lives are actually normal, which isn't the case with Indians who often have to worry about basic necessities constantly," said Dr DP Goel. He also criticised the arduous, time-consuming process that is getting approvals for patents in India, which can sometimes take up to three years. "People in India intent or innovate things, but it doesn't qualify for practical use often because, by the time the paperwork for the patents gets cleared, the technology is already outdated. There is a gap between the bureaucracy and the industry which needs to be bridged in order to solve this problem," he said.
The webinar was conducted in collaboration with Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade marks, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Students from the Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi were the audience for the event, which had industry experts from the field to give students deep insights into the world of patents, trademarks and copyrights. While the focus was on raising awareness on the subject, the panelists also encouraged the students to ensure their innovations and publications see the light of day, and hence stressed the need of understanding the world of intellectual property. There was also a focus on entrepreneurs in India who are trying to find their footing in the technicalities and long processes of getting the groundwork in place for their businesses.
The four panelists included Md Atiquallah, Assistant Controller of Patents and Designs, Intellectual Property India, Vivek Singh, Head of IP Filing and Prosecution Practice, Sagacious IP Patent and Trade Mark Agent/Attorney, India, Bhawna Sharma, Head of Patents Designs, Singhania Partners LLP, and Dr Mandira Roy, Executive Director, Aumirah IP. The session was moderated by Dr Sushma Goel, Associate Professor and Head, Department of Resource Management and Design Application, Lady Irwin College.
Atiqullah spoke to the students about the measures the government was taking in order to ensure that innovations are not impeded in the country. "Even during COVID, when we were all locked down, a lot of innovation and improvement in the industry has happened. The patent registration fee for individuals has been reduced by 80 per cent in the last year," he said.
For the ins and outs of intellectual property, its types, examples and the easiest ways to get your start-ups trademarked, was a session by Vivek Singh. For students who are working on getting their designs registered, the talk by Bhawna Sharma brought them up to speed on the ways they could work on protecting their designs from copyright claims and infringement. Intellectual Property Analysis is a field that defines trends in the industry based on the patents and trademark claims registered. Mandira Roy, who addressed the students on this issue highlighted the importance of patent informatics and asked students working on their thesis and research projects to take leverage the benefit of Intellectual Property Rights.
