National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy, 2016

The Union Government has approved National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy, 2016 to promote the IP regime and to encourage innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship in India. The first of its king policy in the country seeks to strengthen legislative and legal framework of IPRs, their commercialization and reinforce enforcement and adjudicatory mechanisms for IPR infringements. 

The National IPR Policy will endeavour for a “Creative India; Innovative India: रचनात्मक भारत; अभिनव भारत”.

 The Policy lays down seven objectives 

IPR Awareness: Outreach and Promotion- It seeks to create public awareness about the social, economic and cultural benefits of IPRs among all sections of society. 

Generation of IPRs: It seeks to stimulate the generation of IPRs. 

Legal and Legislative Framework: It call for a strong and effective IPR laws, which will have balance the larger public interest and interests of rights owners. 

Administration and Management: It seeks to strengthen and modernize service-oriented IPR administration. 

Commercialization of IPRs: Provide appropriate value for IPRs through commercialization. 

Enforcement and Adjudication: Seeks to strengthen the adjudicatory and enforcement mechanisms for combating IPR infringements. 

Human Capital Development: Seeks to expand and strengthen human resources, capacities and institutions for teaching, research, training and skill building in IPRs.

 Other highlights of the Policy 

Recognises abundance of innovative and creative energies in the country and prioritizes the need to tap and channelise these energies towards a better and brighter future for all. 

Exploit and create synergies between all forms of intellectual property (IP), concerned agencies and statutes in the country. Sets in place an institutional mechanism for monitoring, implementation and review of IP regime. Aims to incorporate and adapt global best practices to the Indian scenario. 

Makes the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), under the Union Commerce Ministry nodal agency for regulating IP rights in the country. 

Seeks to weave in the strengths of the Government, R&D organizations, educational institutions, corporate entities including start-ups, MSMEs and other stakeholders in the creation of an innovation-conducive environment. 

Facilitates a transparent, stable and service-oriented IPR administration in the country. Recognizes that India has well-established TRIPS-compliant administrative, legislative and judicial framework to safeguard IPRs.

 Meets international obligations while utilizing the flexibilities provided in the international regime to address its developmental concerns. 

Reiterates India’s commitment to the Doha Declaration on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement and Public Health.

GK & Current Affairs – May 2016

1. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana will be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at  Ballia

.The scheme aims to provide LPG connections without security deposit to 50 million women from BPL households over the next three years, using the money saved from 1 crore 13 lakh cooking gas users voluntarily giving up their subsidies.

2.China has recently developed the world’s first graphene electronic paper that will catapult the material to a new level. It is developed by The Guangzhou OED Technologies in partnership with a company in Chongqing Province of China. As compared to traditional e-papers, graphene e-paper is more flexible and has more intensity and has high-light transmittance, which means optical displays will be much brighter. The production cost of graphene e-paper (derived from carbon) will be much lower than the traditional e-papers, which use the rare, expensive metal indium.

3.The Gujarat Government has recently declared 10% reservation quota for Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) in general category for higher education and government jobs. The new category would cover all upper castes whose family income does not exceed Rs 6 lakh per annum. The reservation announced by the state government will cross 50% reservation limit set by the Supreme Court of India (SCI) and may face legal hurdles. The state government is already providing 50% reservation to SC/STs and OBCs.

4.India has recently signed four MoUs with Papua New Guinea (PNG) in areas of infrastructure, healthcare, information technology and agriculture. For this, India will provide $100 million credit line for development of infrastructure and will establish India-Papua New Guinea Centre for Excellence in IT in PNG.

5.Tabassum Adnan, a women’s rights activist from Pakistan’s Swat valley, has won the 2016 Civicus Nelson Mandela Graca Machel Innovation Award in individual activist category at Bogota, Colombia. She is the founder of NGO Khwendo Jirga (Sister’s Council), the first women-only ‘jirga’ in Pakistan, to address issues of women’s right, including honour killings and acid attacks.