Latest news with #IntellectualPropertyRights
Hans India
02-08-2025
- Science
- Hans India
IPR workshop highlights need for legal protection of horticultural innovations
Hyderabad: A national workshop at the College of Horticulture, Rajendranagar, highlighted the vital role of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in protecting horticultural by Sri Konda Laxman Telangana Horticultural University (SKLTHU) in collaboration with the Telangana Council of Science & Technology (TGCOST) and SKLTHU's IPR Cell, this one-day event attracted participants from research, academia, law, and farming communities. Delivering the inaugural address, Dr. Danda Raji Reddy, Vice Chancellor of SKLTHU, underscored the urgency of protecting both farmer-led innovations and institution-driven breakthroughs. He encouraged faculty and students to embrace a culture of patent filing, aiming for one patent per month from the university. 'Horticultural progress must align with ethical protection,' he asserted, highlighting SKLTHU's achievements in varietal development and Geographical Indication (GI) registrations for crops like Balanagar custard apple and Armoor turmeric. He announced financial support for patent-worthy innovations from university researchers and students. The workshop was financially supported by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, and the Environment, Forests, Science & Technology Department, Government of Telangana. Legal expert Subhajit Saha, Head of Legal & IPR, Resolute for IP, delivered a keynote presentation exploring the benefits of patents and GI protections. He showcased successful GI registration models from across India and praised SKLTHU's meticulous GI dossier work, citing price advantages of 10–15% for GI-tagged products. Echoing the call for institutional innovation, Dr. J. Cheena, Dean of Horticulture, advocated for the 'One Scientist, One Patent Per Year' approach. Dr. Pidigam Saidaiah, Organising Secretary, detailed SKLTHU's initiative to compile and safeguard Telangana's traditional horticultural practices and farmer varieties under the IPR regime. The event culminated in interactive sessions, case study exchanges, and a united pledge to integrate IPR awareness into horticultural education. Attendees included professors, scholars, students, and grassroots innovators.
Indian Express
26-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
India stuck to TRIPS and domestic law in UK deal, says official amid drug access concerns
India has not gone beyond the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement or domestic law in the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)-related deal with the UK, a senior government official said on Saturday after trade experts raised concerns stating that India had moved away from its conventional position on IPR in the UK trade deal. The 'Working Group on Access to Medicines and Treatment' and trade experts pointed out that the UK deal has provisions tilting in favour of patent holders since they bring the issuance of compulsory licences — a critical tool to ensure access to affordable life-saving medicines — under greater scrutiny and constraints. 'In the IPR chapter, India has not breached the TRIPS agreement and is in compliance with domestic law. Only best practices that do not infringe on domestic laws have been adopted. Sharing of information and several such elements are part of the deal,' the government official said. The Working Group on Access to Medicines and Treatment is a network of patients, activists and professionals working towards access to affordable medicines in India. It said the UK-India FTA provisions on patents tilt the balance in favour of the patent owner and undermine access to medicines. 'There is a progressive movement towards accepting the demands of FTA partners, which is systematically debasing the public interest safeguards available in the Indian Patents Act. Article 13.6, stating the understandings regarding TRIPS and public health measures, clearly places voluntary mechanisms such as voluntary licensing as the preferred and optimal route to promote access to medicines,' the working group said. Biswajit Dhar, a trade policy expert with the Council for Social Development, said that the provisions in the UK deal favouring voluntary licences leave access to medicines in the hands of market forces and undermine the role of the government in facilitating access. 'Further, it also gives a clear signal to potential compulsory licence applicants that they are not welcome. Often, voluntary licences contain onerous conditions on the licensee and fail to bring sharp price reductions compared to compulsory licences,' Dhar said. 'There are also provisions in the IP chapter which can potentially undermine the safeguards preventing evergreening of patents. Though couched in best endeavour language, there is a provision to 'facilitate the sharing and use of search and examination work of the Parties'. The implementation of this provision would lead to the harmonisation of patentability criteria and undermine safeguards against evergreening, such as Section 3(d) of the Patents Act,' said K M Gopakumar, co-convenor of the Working Group on Access to Medicines and Treatment. Compared to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) IP chapter, this chapter shows further movement towards strengthening the interests of patent holders at the cost of access to medicines. The implementation of these provisions reduces the ability of the central and state governments to fulfil their constitutional obligation on the right to health, the working group said.
Hans India
25-07-2025
- Business
- Hans India
ALC celebrates Income Tax Day
Vijayawada: Commemorating Income Tax Day, Andhra Loyola College on Thursday hosted an insightful guest lecture on Income Tax, aimed at enhancing financial literacy among its students. The session was led by Assistant Director of Income Tax Dommeti Sridhar providing students with essential up-to-date financial knowledge directly from the Income Tax Department. The event also featured Manohar, an IIT Graduate, who emphasised that paying taxes is a civic duty akin to building one's family, underscoring its foundational role in national development. Vijay, an alumnus of Andhra Loyola College (ALC), highlighted the simplicity of online tax portals and the stability of current tax policies, encouraging seamless compliance. The overall objective of the session was to foster a 'Together for a Strong Nation' spirit among the youth. Discussions covered practical aspects of taxation, including popular tax deductions under Section 80C, the convenience of online taxpayer services, and the crucial link between Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) taxation and innovation. This comprehensive session empowered students with real-world knowledge vital for both personal financial management and active participation in nation-building. Approximately 200 students from the Commerce and BBA departments actively participated in the programme, demonstrating a keen interest in understanding their future financial responsibilities. Certificates were distributed to the prize winners as part of the celebration. Fr Kiran Kumar, Vice-Principal II year, Dr L Subha, Dean of Student Activities, Nirmala Rani, Head of the Department of Commerce and Durga Pavani, Head of the Department of Business Administration also participated.
Indian Express
17-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Supreme Court rules companies can be victims under criminal law
The Supreme Court held Monday that companies would also fall under the definition of victim under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), entitling them to file a criminal complaint in a significant ruling which enables corporate entities to pursue criminal remedies for violations of Intellectual Property Rights. The top court set aside the October 9, 2023, order of a single judge of the Jaipur Bench of the Rajasthan High Court, dismissing the appeal filed by Asian Paints Ltd under Section 372 of CrPC over a dispute with a retailer, who was selling counterfeit products of the company, as not maintainable. While the trial court had convicted the accused, the sessions court acquitted him. Though Asian Paints appealed against this, the Rajasthan High Court dismissed the plea as not maintainable. In the July 14 judgment, a bench of Justices A Amanullah and P K Mishra said, 'Section 2(wa) of the CrPC defines 'victim' in plain and simple language as a 'person who has suffered any loss or injury caused by reason of the act or omission for which the accused person has been charged…'. It is clear that Section 2(wa) of the CrPC has thoughtfully accorded an expansive understanding to the term 'victim' and not a narrow or restricted meaning.' 'We are constrained to observe that the finding of the High Court that the Appellant could not have maintained the appeal before it would amount to completely negating the proviso to Section 372 of the CrPC,' said the bench, referring to the section which deals with the right to appeal in criminal cases. 'In the present case, there cannot be any two opinions that ultimately, it is the Appellant who has suffered due to the counterfeit/fake products being sold/attempted to be sold as having been manufactured by the Appellant. The Appellant would suffer financial loss and reputational injury if such products would be bought by the public under the mistaken belief that the same belonged to the Appellant's brand.' Advocate Ajay Singh of Singh Law Chambers LLP, which represented Asian Paints, said it is not 'just a procedural ruling, it's a foundational shift'. 'Until now, India's criminal justice system largely treated prosecution as the domain of the State, with victims, particularly companies, playing a limited or passive role once the police took over. That model may have made sense for traditional crimes, but it doesn't reflect the reality of modern corporate harms, where financial loss, brand erosion, and supply chain fraud can cause serious injury without physical violence.' 'The ruling creates a legal pathway for brand owners to pursue criminal remedies directly, especially in cases involving counterfeiting, IP theft, and economic offences. It also eliminates the long-standing dependency on the public prosecutor's discretion, a bottleneck that often left aggrieved companies without recourse when the State declined to appeal.' Singh said, 'This is especially important in industries plagued by counterfeit and grey market products, FMCG, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and fashion, to name a few. For these sectors, the decision marks a shift from passive tolerance to active enforcement.' Ananthakrishnan G. is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express. He has been in the field for over 23 years, kicking off his journalism career as a freelancer in the late nineties with bylines in The Hindu. A graduate in law, he practised in the District judiciary in Kerala for about two years before switching to journalism. His first permanent assignment was with The Press Trust of India in Delhi where he was assigned to cover the lower courts and various commissions of inquiry. He reported from the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India during his first stint with The Indian Express in 2005-2006. Currently, in his second stint with The Indian Express, he reports from the Supreme Court and writes on topics related to law and the administration of justice. Legal reporting is his forte though he has extensive experience in political and community reporting too, having spent a decade as Kerala state correspondent, The Times of India and The Telegraph. He is a stickler for facts and has several impactful stories to his credit. ... Read More
The Hindu
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
How IPR applications by Mother Teresa varsity faculty are helping Kodaikanal tribespeople
Deep inside Palani Hills in Kodaikanal taluk live a group of tribespeople who could have a livelihood boost due to a bunch of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) applications filed by a faculty member of Mother Teresa Women's University. A. Usha Raja Nanthini, Professor and Head, Biotechnology Department, has filed 150 separate applications under industrial design for jewellery made with naturally-occurring seeds. The project, funded by Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology (TNSCST), aims to train the tribespeople in jewellery-making and help them market their products through a website. Five tribal women have come together to establish a company, Tulir, and registered it as a micro, small and medium enterprise. The website is being designed and will sell honey, nutmeg, lichens, benzoin resin (sambrani), and myrobalan (kadukkai), besides jewellery. Ms. Usha said, 'They live in 15-20 hamlets spread over Palani Hills and their population according to the 2011 Census was around 6,000. The children rarely go to school and they live a simple life collecting non-timber forest produce.' While being on a project to analyse different species of eucalyptus for anti-fungal properties, Ms. Usha and her team came across this habitation. Seeds of eucalyptus, adenanthera, coix and corymbia found in the area were colourful and tough, and they came in various sizes and shapes. 'An idea sparked: if we designed jewellery and taught them how to make them, they could sell the products for a living.' A few prototypes of the jewellery designs were submitted to the TNSCST in August 2023 and the Council approved the project in January 2024. Then began the tough task of bringing the villagers together. 'They were shy and would not entertain outsiders. So, we went through the tribal headman who helped us getting a few people,' Ms. Usha elaborated. The training for the villagers began in January, and she filed the IPR applications through the IPR cell set up by the Council at the university in March. 'The idea of setting up these cells is to protect our intellectual property and use them for the benefit of the people,' said S. Vincent, Member Secretary, TNSCST. The council has already set up 40 such cells. Fifty villagers from Pethuparai Bharathi Annanagar and Pallangi-Kombai hamlets have been trained in jewellery-making, Ms. Usha said. As an aside, members of a women's self help group from Vadakounji and Vadajaraparai were trained in apiculture (beekeeping), in collaboration with sisters from Society of Daughters of Mary Immaculate (DMI). The people living in these hamlets largely belonged to the Pazhiyar and Puliyar tribes and have been eking out a living, collecting lichens, soap nuts, gooseberry, honey and other non-timber forest produce and selling them to intermediaries for a pittance, Ms. Usha said. 'The place is so remote that the nearest bus stop is 29 kilometres away. Very few have studied till high school,' she added.
