India has decided to undertake an ambitious step to modernize its Intellectual Property Rights' (IPRs) administrative infrastructure, in order to make it more efficient and user friendly, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath stated at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) National Seminar on the Promotion, Protection, and Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights, which was held February 17-18, 2005, in New Delhi.
The seminar dealt with four main themes: Intellectual Property (IP) Protection, the Development Dimension of IP Protection and Enforcement, Intellectual Property Enforcement, and the Role of the Judiciary and Government Agencies in IP Enforcement.
"The seminar emphasized the need for an effective intellectual property protection system to ensure the promotion of creativity and innovation to sustain cultural, scientific, technological and industrial development," Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (AGIP) India Office Manager, Mr. Khalid Al-Khalidi, stated.
The seminar also tackled other topics such as protection of copyrights and related rights, counterfeiting and piracy, the role of IP in socio-economic development, and the role of customs in IP enforcement.
Among the speakers at the seminar were Mr. Wolfgang Starein, WIPO's director for Enforcement and Special Projects Division, Mr. Yuji Okuma, ex-director for the Regional Policy Office in the International Affairs Division of Japan’s Patent Office, and Mr. Rajeev Ranjan, director of the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) at the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Mr. Ranjan pointed out that the Trademark Office located in New Delhi will be shifting to Dwarka by next month.
The event was organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in collaboration with WIPO and the DIPP.
Mr. Al-Khalidi also participated in the WIPO National Roving Seminar on the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), Hague and Madrid Systems for the International Protection of Inventions, Industrial Designs and Marks held on February 21, 2005, in Chennai, India.
The seminar provided information on practical and useful features of the PCT, Hague and Madrid Systems, and helped participants understand the principal advantages of theses systems.
The seminar was organized by the FICCI in collaboration with WIPO and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of India.