The Hindu : Front Page : Draft IPRs policy to be released today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2005

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Front Page

Draft IPRs policy to be released today

C. Gouridasan Nair

It aims at protecting traditional knowledge

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Government is coming out with its draft Intellectual Rights (IPRs) Policy on Wednesday. The policy seeks to create awareness about IPRs in the State, devise mechanisms to protect the traditional knowledge of Kerala by helping the traditional knowledge- holders and to maintain statistics on the intellectual property resources of the State.

The draft IPRs Policy, which would be finalised after it is examined by experts at a two-day workshop beginning here on Wednesday, also aims to provide training to all the associated internal and external entities in the administration of IPRs, to coordinate with both Government and private institutions on matters related to the management of IPRs, to provide assistance and information to the needy in the filing of Copyrights, Patents, Trademarks and other intellectual property and to identify and screen the on-going national and international patents related to the traditional knowledge of Kerala.

The draft policy commits the Government to encourage inventions and other intellectual creations in the best interest of the public, the creator and the research sponsor, if any, and to permit the timely protection and disclosure of such intellectual property. The initiative, the document says, is also intended to protect the interests of all concerned participants by ensuring that the benefits of such property accrue to the public, to the inventor, to the State and to sponsors of specific research projects in varying degrees of protection, monetary return and recognition, as circumstances justify or require.

Every citizen of the State, the document says, must have the basic knowledge about intellectual property so as to protect their own rights and respect the rights of others. One of the methods suggested is inclusion of IPR courses in the curriculum at the graduate level. The policy would seek to encourage a healthy atmosphere conducive to research and development through a generous system of rewards and incentives for the creation of intellectual property while at the same time giving proper consideration to the economic responsibilities of the State.

The policy further commits the Government to take forward the various ongoing intellectual property and traditional knowledge protection endeavours.

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