WIPR's India focus: steady progress, but plenty still to do

01-10-2011

India is continuing its charge to become one of the most influential economic powers in the world. But with this status comes a range of IP challenges. WIPR takes a look.

As a member of the so-called BRIC group, India is growing in influence. But for international and domestic companies, further clarity is required on everything from enforcement systems for IP rights, the security of pharmaceutical brands in the country, and even the leadership of the patent office.

On that last point, the widely respected head of the Indian patent office, PH Kurian, resigned earlier this year, half-way through his five-year term. According to Jatin Trivedi, partner at YJ Trivedi & Co, Kurian’s resignation “came as a shock” to the IP community in India. “We hope Kurian’s departure from the IP office, before completing functional reforms, will not put an end to the transparency drive that was an integral part of the IP office during his tenure,” Trivedi says.

For the most part, India has a well-established statutory, administrative and judicial framework for intellectual property issues. But many have called for a more specialised system including courts and judges dedicated wholly to IP, in order to give businesses further confidence that their IP will be robustly protected.


India , IP challenges

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