Govt forms think tank to draft policy on intellectual property

New Delhi : Amid the US Trade Representative launching an additional review of India’s intellectual property rights (IPR) regime, the government on Friday said it has constituted a think tank for drafting a national policy on the subject, among other measures.

According to a statement issued by the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP), the six-member think tank, headed by Justice Prabha Sridevan, former chairperson of Intellectual Property Appellate Board, will also identify areas in the IPR “where study needs to be conducted and to furnish recommendations in this regard to the ministry”.

“The think tank will provide views on the possible implications of demands placed by the negotiating partners and keep the government regularly informed about the developments taking place in IPR cases which have an impact upon India’s IPR policy,” the statement said.

The move follows an announcement made by commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman last month that India will have a policy on IPR for protecting its interests in the field. India has been under pressure from the developed countries, mainly the US, regarding its IPR regime, especially in the pharma sector. The DIPP statement said that the think tank will inform the government on best practices and highlight anomalies in the present IPR legislation.Through the policy, India is aiming at branding itself as the pro-IP regime.