Under US pressure, Indian government is getting its act together on IP matters

The pressure from the US government on India seems to be working. With India's intellectual property rights (IPR) regime facing flak, and the USA launching an out-of-cycle review of India's IPR regime, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has set up a think-tank to draft a National Intellectual Property Rights Policy. Work is also on to set up IPR courts to fast track cases, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

Prabha Sridevan, a former Judge of the Madras High Court, who was also the former chairman of the Intellectual Property Appellate Board, is to lead the think-tank, and help with the formation of the new policy.

“A pressurized Indian government is getting its act together. Through the new policy, India is aiming to brand itself as pro-IP. And by setting up more courts, the government is keen to show that it means business in resolving IPR cases,'' said an official at the DIPP, seeking anonymity.