Date:08/10/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/10/08/stories/2006100805930500.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Call to create awareness of intellectual property rights

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: Enforcement of the legislation aimed at preventing infringement of intellectual property rights is important to awaken social consciousness, German Federal Parliament member Gunter Krings said on Friday.

To increase compliance with the laws, efforts should be made to create public awareness of intellectual property rights, especially among school and college students. At the same time, governments must crack down on those infringing the rights, he told a meeting organised by the Madras Management Association.

Describing the protection of intellectual property as a global challenge, Dr. Krings said what people must understand was that innovation, and not copying, drove the economy. Moreover, foreign companies preferred investing only in those countries where their intellectual property was better protected.