Intellectual Property Rights In India se of the Members in the discharge of their Parliamentary duties, and is not for publication.
Introduction
Intellectual property (IP) is related to human brain applied for creativity and invention. Various efforts in terms of inputs of manpower, time, energy, skill, money, etc., are required to invent or create something new. As per law, legal rights or monopoly rights are given to creator or innovator to harvest the economic benefits on their invention or creation.

These Intellectual property rights (IPR) are territorial rights that can be registered with a legal authority in some presentable or tangible form which can be sold or bought or licensed, similar to physical property. IPR provides a secure environment for investors, scientists, artists, designers, traders etc. to foster innovation and scientific temper. In the present scenario of Globalisation, IPR is the focal point in global trade practices and livelihood across the world. A balanced IPR System is one of the key mechanisms to support country's innovation and development objectives.

The development of any society directly depends on IPR and its policy framework. Lack of IPR awareness results in the death of inventions, high risk of infringement, economic loss and decline of an intellectual era in the country.

Classification of Intellectual Property Rights

On the basis of type of invention and creation of human mind and their application, the IPRs are classified as follows:

1. Patents - A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides, in general, a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem. Patentability of any invention needs to fulfill certain criteria such as Usefulness, Novelty and Non-obviousness. It provides protection for the invention to the owner of the patent for a limited period, i.e., 20 years.
    
2. Trademarks - A trademark is a distinctive sign which identifies certain goods or services as those produced or provided by a specific person or enterprise. It may be one or a combination of words, letters, and numerals.
    
3. Copyright and related rights - Copyright is a legal term describing rights given to creators for their literary and artistic works. Creators often sell the rights to their works to individuals or companies best able to market the works in return for payment. These payments are often made dependent on the actual use of the work, and are then referred to as royalties.
    
4. Geographic indications of source - A Geographical Indication (GI) is a sign used on goods that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities, reputation, or characteristics that are essentially attributable to that place of origin. The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act 1999 (the Act) provides for registration of Handicrafts as Geographical indications (GI). As of 31 July 2016, 1152 GI Authorized users have been registered under the Act for handicraft goods.
    
5. Industrial designs - Industrial designs refer to creative activity which results in the ornamental or formal appearance of a product and 'design right' refers to a novel or original design that is accorded to the proprietor of a validly registered design. The existing legislation on industrial designs in India is contained in the New Designs Act, 2000, which aims at enacting a more detailed classification of design to conform to the international system and to take care of the proliferation of design-related activities in various fields.
    
6. Trade Secrets - Broadly speaking, any confidential business information which provides an enterprise a competitive edge may be considered a trade secret. Trade secrets encompass manufacturing or industrial secrets and commercial secrets. The unauthorized use of such information by persons other than the holder is regarded as an unfair practice and a violation of the trade secret. Contrary to patents, trade secrets are protected without registration.
    
7. Semiconductor Integrated Circuit of Layout Designs (SICLD) - All electronic gadgets are very compact nowadays due to their integrated circuits. These designs of circuits are creations of the human mind as a consequence of enormous investments and efforts of highly qualified experts. The SICLD Act of 2000 empowers the registered proprietor of the layout-design an inherent right to use the layout-design, commercially exploit it, and obtain relief in respect of any infringement.
    
8. Protection of plant varieties & farmer's rights - The objective of this act is to recognize the role of farmers as cultivators and conservers and the contribution of traditional, rural, and tribal communities to the country's agro-biodiversity by rewarding them for their contribution and to stimulate investment for R&D for the development of new plant varieties to facilitate the growth of the seed industry which will ensure the availability of high-quality seeds and planting material to the farmers.
    
9. Protection of Biological Diversity - The Biological Diversity Act covers the traditional knowledge in the preamble itself. It also provides for issues related to traditional knowledge under the umbrella of associated knowledge within various provisions of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. The benefit claimers are conservers of biological resources, creators, and holders of knowledge and information relating to the uses of biological resources.

The IPR System in India

The origins of India's IPR system date back to British colonial rule, when as a colony the state enacted various rules and enforcement mechanisms pertaining to IP rights. Post-independence, India retained elements of these structures while updating some guiding regulations and other bureaucratic structures. As India moved toward liberalization, privatization, and globalization in the 1990s and later, Indian policymakers made further adjustments to keep up with growing needs of domestic and international stakeholders. Indian IPR Laws fully conform to the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights under WTO aegis.

IPR Policy 2016
Adopted in May 2016, the IPR Policy is a giant leap by the Government of India to spur creativity and stimulate innovation. It lays the roadmap for the future of IPRs in India. The Policy seeks to reinforce the IPR framework in the country that will create public awareness about economic, social and cultural benefits of IPRs among all sections of the society, stimulate IPR generation and commercialization, modernize and strengthen service-oriented IPR administration as also the enforcement and adjudicatory mechanisms for combating IPR infringements.

The Policy lays down seven objectives which are elaborated with steps to be undertaken by the identified nodal Ministry/ Department.

The objectives of the Policy are:

1. IPR Awareness: Outreach and Promotion - To create public awareness about the economic, social, and cultural benefits of IPRs among all sections.
2. Generation of IPRs - To stimulate the generation of IPRs: India has a large talent pool of scientific and technological talent spread over R&D institutions, enterprises, universities, and technical institutes. There is a need to tap this fertile knowledge resource and stimulate the creation of IP assets. (See Annexures II and III for the number of applications for patents and top patentees.)
3. Legal and Legislative Framework - To have strong and effective IPR laws, which balance the interests of rights owners with larger public interest.
4. Administration and Management - To modernize and strengthen service-oriented IPR administration.
5. Commercialization of IPR - Get value for IPRs through commercialization.
6. Enforcement and Adjudication - To strengthen the enforcement and adjudicatory mechanisms for combating IPR infringements.
7. Human Capital Development - To strengthen and expand human resources, institutions, and capacities for teaching, training, research, and skill-building in IPRs.

The present IPR Policy aims to integrate IPR as a policy and strategic tool in national development plans. It foresees a coordinated and integrated development of IP system in India and the need for a holistic approach to be taken on IP legal, administrative, institutional and enforcement related matters.

IPR Status of India
India currently ranks 60th out of 127 countries on the Global innovation Index (GII) 2017, co-published by World-Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University and INSEAD with Confederation of Indian Industry & others as Knowledge Partners .

India ranks 14 overall in the presence of global R&D companies, considerably better than comparable groups of lower- and upper-middle-income economies. India also surpasses most other middle-income economies in science and engineering graduates, gross capital formation, Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) performed by business, research talent, on the input side; quality of scientific publications, growth rate of GDP per worker, high-tech and ICT services exports, creative goods exports, high-tech manufactures, and IP receipts on the output side.

Conclusion
Today, India is on its way to adopting a balanced approach towards creating a stimulus for the betterment of the IPR industry as a whole. Recent developments in India, be it the New IPR policy or providing an effective toolkit in the form of checklist that will act as a reckoner for the police to deal with IP crimes or encouragement to innovators in terms of speedy patent examination in case they file first in India, all are a part of much needed attempt to improve the overall security of IPR and encouragement to create more IP in the country. India is having all the resources in terms of available raw material, cheap labour, innovative and creative dedicated manpower. No doubt that India will definitely harness its proportionate share in global trade by exploration in Intellectual Property Rights and mark its footprint on international map .

Bibliography:

• Journal of Intellectual Property Rights Vol.22, January 2017
• Annual Report 2015-16: O/O Controller General Of Patents, Designs, Trademarks And Geographical Indications
• WWW.dcmse.govt.in/emerge/website
• National Intellectual Property Rights Policy 2016: Department Of Industrial Policy & Promotion
• http://www.makeinindia.com/policy/intellectual-property-facts
• www.globalinnovationindex
• National Bureau of Asian Research: India's Innovation and IP Policies
  Working Paper
• Intellectual Property and Tech. Law Updates January 2017
• Laghu Udyog Samachar February 2016
• https://loksabhadocs.nic.in/Refinput/New_Reference_Notes/English/Intellectual Property Rights in India

Written By: Chinmay Jain