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The School of International Relations and Politics, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, organised an international seminar on the theme ‘India and the New Global Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Regime: Challenges, Opportunities and Options’, on August 2-4, 2006.
The central objective of the seminar was to examine the challenges and opportunities generated by the new global IPR regime that has come into being with the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement at the WTO, and to identify options.
The seminar was attended by 250 registered participants, including 40 scholars from various institutions in India and abroad, 35 invitees from several institutions in India, 75 registered participants from various colleges and institutions and around 135 participants from the Mahatma Gandhi University. (Click here to view abstracts of papers presented at the seminar in PDF format).
The seminar was inaugurated on August 2, 2006, by distinguished economist Professor Prabhat Patnaik, vice-chairman of the Kerala State Planning Board. Professor Gustavo Ghidini, president of the International Association for the Advancement of Intellectual Property (ATRIP), Italy, delivered the keynote address.
One of the main features of the seminar was the participation of five intellectual property experts, representing leading organisations and institutions from Asia, Europe and the United States, such as ATRIP, Italy, the Centre for Advanced Study and Research on Intellectual Property (CASRIP), Washington, United Nations University (UNU), Helsinki, and Third World Network, Malaysia.
Experts who attended the seminar and made presentations included:
- Professor Roland Chin Tai Hong, Hong Kong University
- Professor Gustavo Ghidini, Luiss University , Rome
- Professor Sean O'Connor, CASRIP, University of Washington School of Law
- Sanya Reid Smith, Third World Network , Malaysia
- Professor Basudeb Guha Khasnobis, UNU, Helsinki
- Professor N R Madhava Menon, chairperson, Menon Institute of Legal Advocacy and Training (MILAT), Thiruvananthapuram
- T P Sreenivasan, former Indian ambassador
- Dr Sachin Chaturvedi, Regional and Information System (RIS), New Delhi
- Dr Amit Sen Gupta, All India People's Network, New Delhi
- Dr Swapan K Bhattacharya, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi
- Professor V K Gupta, National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies ( NISTADS), New Delhi
- Amitava Guha, Federation of Medical Representatives Associations of India (FMRAI), Kolkata
- Dr Anita Rao, Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management (GITAM), Visakhapatnam
- Dr K Sreenivasulu, Governance and Policy Spaces (GAPS) at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad
- K M Gopakumar, Centad, New Delhi
- Professor V Mohanasundaram, PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore
- Dr S Rajasekharan, Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram
- Dr Shashikumar, Bangalore University
- Dr Jeevan Kumar, Bangalore University
- Dr A M Ravindran, K M Centre for Post Graduate Studies, Pondicherry
- Professor B Agastin, St John's College , Tirunelveli
Professor Michael Blakeney from Queen Mary’s IPR Institute, University of London, could not be present at the seminar, but submitted a paper that was presented in absentia.
The seminar, spread over three days and 15 academic sessions, deliberated the crucial issues and concerns emerging out of the new global IPR regime and its implications for India as well as Kerala. The seminar also provided a forum for an evaluation of the implications of the TRIPS Agreement for agriculture, industry, resources related to traditional knowledge, biodiversity and geographical indications. An interactive session on the Kerala experience was held on August 4.
The presentations by scholars and experts on IPR, and the subsequent deliberations, provided valuable insights into IPR issues related to the protection/preservation of patents, copyright, as well as resources related to geographical indications, traditional knowledge and biodiversity in developing countries.
The seminar was organised in association with the Ministry of External Affairs, Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, Governance and Policy Spaces, CESS, Hyderabad, Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, Thiruvananthapuram, and Centre for Trade and Development (Centad), New Delhi.
The presentations, deliberations and reports of chairpersons of the academic sessions were compiled into the following recommendations that were made to the Mahatma Gandhi University, the government of Kerala and national agencies.
Recommendations
- A taskforce may be constituted to identify potential areas of concern related to IPR, such as patents, copyright, trademarks as well as protection of resources related to traditional knowledge and geographical indications.
- A state commission on IPR may be set up to identify tasks, chalk out an action plan and its implementation. Such a commission may be constituted with experts from the government, academics, law, management and science and technology as its members.
- Study teams may be constituted to examine the experience of Asian countries like China so that valuable insights can be drawn from country experiences.
- Legislative measures should be initiated at the state level for the protection and promotion of resources and capabilities related to traditional knowledge, biodiversity and geographical indications.
- IPRs should be given adequate importance in the curriculum of all academic disciplines.
- Universities in Kerala should be encouraged to introduce IPR studies.
- IPRs should be given priority in teaching and research at universities and colleges.
- The government should provide adequate financial assistance to universities for the promotion of teaching and research in IPR during the 11th Plan period.
The seminar report prepared by Dr Raju K Thadikkaran, chairman of the organising committee of the international seminar was presented to Kerala’s Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan by Dr Jancy James, vice-chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, at a valedictory function held on August 4, 2006.
August 2006
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