Number of Patent Applications up on new IPR norms

With laws protecting intellectual property rights (IPRs) getting streamlined, the government has received nearly 23,000 patent applications during '05-06. In comparison, the number of applications received during the previous financial year was 17,466. With product patents now in place, the government expects the number of applications to touch a record high during '06-07. The situation is undergoing a sea change, considering that the government received only 5,000 patent applications in '00-01. More applications are expected now since the new rules proposed by the government would allow the grant of applications as early as three months. The minimum period prescribed for the grant of patents is six months, according to existing rules. According to the proposed rules, patents have to be issued within three years from the time of applications. Existing rules allow the government up to six years to take a decision on patent applications. Mailbox applications have been opened up and they are being processed now, officials said. Implementation of the new rules would also lead to streamlining of patent guidelines, they added. The proposed rules are significant, since the industry is in favour of updated IPR laws. This will help India in getting out of the Super 301 'watchlist' of the US, said Dr Dhawan, president of the National Intellectual Property Organization (NIPO). Speaking at a seminar on data protection laws here on Wednesday, he said no country can lag behind in updating their intellectual property rights laws in line with the new global order. The discussions at the meet focused on the proposed new legislation on data protection and amendments to the Information Technology Act. Industry representatives cautioned that the updated guidelines should be transparent and it should not result in undue protection for multinational companies. NIPO director Akash Taneja said the current perception is that existing provisions in the Indian copyright law and IT Act are insufficient to protect the interests of database owners. The final decision on the issue would depend on the recommendations of the inter-ministerial committee set up by the government to study the necessary changes. Source: Economictimes. Indiatimes.com