Relevance: GS Paper III (Science and Technology)
Theme of the article
The ambitious goal set by India’s IPR Policy rests on how universities embrace patents.
Why has this article cropped up?
In its biggest push to create entrepreneurial universities, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has now asked all universities in India to set up Intellectual Property (IP) Centres.
Universities and patents
- Universities and patents benefit each other. Patents help universities to improve their ranking, establish an innovation ecosystem, incubate knowledge-based start-ups, earn additional revenue and measure research activity.
- The UGC’s call to universities has come after a series of policy directives to introduce awareness about IP in higher educational institutions.
- The number of patents applied for, granted and commercialised by universities and institutes is factored in in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings: the top ranked engineering institutes in India are also the leading filers of patents.
- The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) model curriculum for its member institutions lays emphasis on the need for IPR education in technical institutes.
The roadblocks
- As universities line up to set up these centres, they will face a strange human resources problem: despite the policy push to have more IP, we simply do not have enough IP professionals in the country.
- The dearth of IP professionals is a problem related to the field of intellectual property itself. Law schools and colleges are the only institutions which mandate teaching subjects like intellectual property. This is the reason why the supply of IP professionals is not keeping pace with demand.
- India has a poor patent agent density, with only about 2,000 registered patent agents currently in practice.
Evolution of the intellectual property culture in India
- India witnessed significant changes in IPRs since the introduction of the National IPR Policy in 2016.
- The grants rates at the Patent Office have increased: in 2017-2018, there was a 32% increase in the number of patents granted compared to the earlier year.
- The Patent Office increased its workforce with the inclusion of 459 new examiners and is on the lookout for more.
- The timeline for filing responses to official objections for patents has been reduced by half.
- While the disposal rate has increased, the filing rate for patents has not changed significantly.
Way forward to strengthen the IP culture
- Online courses on IPR are available on the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning platform, which must be popularised.
- Though thousands register every year, much needs to be done to build capacity on IP in universities.
- The Central government conducts the only competitive examination in the country to check a person’s proficiency in IP. Fine-tuning the patent agent examination to cater to the growing IP needs of the country can be a successful way to build a band of professionals and create career opportunities.
- We need to focus on careers rather than courses. The ambitious goal set by India’s IPR Policy will be realised only when the examination becomes the foundation for making a career in IPR.
- In order to create a band of qualified IP professionals there should be a push towards post-qualification continuous education as well. To achieve this, the format, membership, syllabus and the frequency of the patent agent examination will need to be addressed.
