The Hindu Business Line : India ranks second in patent pleas

India is ranked only second to the US in the highest number of patent pleas, which indicates the positive impact of Intellectual Property Regime in developing countries, according to Prof Joseph Straus, Director Max Planck Institute, Munich and an expert on IPR and Tax law.

After TRIPS (Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights) India's economy registered a growth rate of 7 per cent, next only to China, which has shown 9 per cent progress, Prof Straus told the international seminar on Intellectual Property Education and Research at NALSAR University of Law, here recently.

Poverty Reduction

Explaining the positive impact of TRIPS in developing countries, Prof Straus said that Brazil recorded a trade surplus of $14.2 billion, while Argentina secured $11.3 billion during 2005.

Rise of new knowledge based industries and IPR penetration into biotechnology services, advancement in communications and information technology accelerated the economy growth. US Patents in drugs granted to Indian inventors from 1997-2001 increased enormously. He also compared US Patent activities of Dr Reddy's and Ranbaxy's, which were almost equal in March 2006.

However, Professor Straus referred to the other side of the development saying that tariffs have pushed up the prices of orange juice by 56 per cent, tobacco by 180-350 per cent, Sugar by 170 per cent, etc.

Mr Yo Takagi of WIPO said that IPR would promote world peace, worldwide prosperity and development, as one of important Millennium Development Goals was reduction of poverty. He said that legal institution was single important factor in determining economic prosperity of any society tomorrow.

Innovative Economy

Prof Ranbir Singh, Vice-Chancellor of NALSAR, said that NALSAR and NLSI University of Bangalore were trying to produce good law faculty, which was the need of the hour.

Mr Rajeev Ranjan, Chief Joint Secretary, National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council, Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, said that 25 per cent of all global R&D funding was happening in India and that India joined emerging innovative economy.

Around 30 resource persons from different fields of IPR addressed the Seminar, attended by more than 100 delegates from different countries, WIPO, UN, Germany and representatives of Government of India.

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