Author: Intern - Devu Sai Ruchitha
The Cell for IPR Promotions & Management (CIPAM) under Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has released an IPR Awareness Manual for industries on 25th March 2021 to assist industries/businesses within India and coming into India. It aims to facilitate a better understanding of how to have innovations registered and protected as well as enforced under the various Intellectual Property (IP) laws. The goal of this Manual is to serve as a guide for businesses relocating to India in order to develop their intellectual property, protect it against infringement, and profit from it.
The Manual explains the registration procedure of copyrights, patents, trademarks, designs, and geographical indications by laying down the various stages of registration, documents required, compliances involved, to make it easier for companies. It addresses the different kinds of infringements related to intellectual property, lays down the relevant statutory provisions and helps understand the remedies available to businesses under the various IP acts. The Manual also deals with information relevant to industry/businesses right from registration fees to the remedies available for one when their IP rights have been infringed.
The Manual highlights the initiatives of the Government of India to strengthen innovation and creativity through start-ups & industries such as the scheme for facilitating the Start-Ups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP). For example, MSMEs and Start-Ups can now file for expedited examination of applications, along with 8 other classes of both Indian and foreign applicants, under the amended patent rules, wherein Start-Ups from around the world will be able to register their patent in India at a faster pace and at a much lower cost. With the revision to the patent regulations, there is no fee payable if the applicant withdraws his or her application.Further, the Manual discusses that online hearings were implemented to improve communication and decrease distance barriers, as well as save applicants’ time and effort. The automatic issuance of an electronic patent certificate by the CGPDTM office to make it easier for businesses has also been provided in the Manual.
The Manual draws attention to customs seizures and civil litigation are two popular options amongst many for enforcing IP rights against unauthorised usage in India. The manual is intended to serve as a handy one stop reference for SMEs and other small-scale enterprises looking to accelerate and promote their innovation by properly registering and protecting their IP.
The Manual is accessible here: http://cipam.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IPR_Awareness_Manual_for_industrieupload-version.pdf
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