IPR regime must for India's march to knowledge economy

Mumbai, May 1 (UNI) United States would post its representative in India to faciliate the process of creating a world class IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) regime in the country.

This was disclosed by US Consul General Michael S Owen at the inaugural session of the three-day Indo-US Seminar and Workshop on IPR enforcement organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here today.

Stating that since IPR is constantly under siege from pirates, its protection becomes essential towards creating a world class IPR regime in India, Mr Owen said. ''Every file or music CD pirated results in less money to support Indian artists. Spurious drugs cripple innovator companies,'' he explained.

Describing seminar-cum-workshop series on IPR enforcement as the first step towards creating a world class IPR regime in India, the diplomat said the US Patent&Trademark Office would post a representative in India at the US consulate in Delhi to facilitate the process.

Tim Browning, Attorney Advisor in the enforcement wing of US Patent&Trademark Office, highlighted the need for greater awareness about IPR. ''Most people are not clear about how to enforce IPR and what they have to do. IP crime is a crime like any other. There is a need for greater International co-operation in the era of globalisation where ideas come from one area, the product is produced somewhere else and finally distributed in a third place,'' he explained.

Vijay Lazarus, President of Indian Music and Phonographic Performance Ltd said one of the reasons for the Indian music industry still surviving in the country as compared to Pakistan or Bangladesh, was IPR enforcement. ''The only way to protect intellectual property is to enforce the law,'' he stressed.

Julio F Ribeiro, Chief Coordinator- IPR, Indian Music Industry, said the biggest problem faced by IPR protectors was one of ignorance, not just by the general public, but law enforcers as well. ''Any law that is not enforced makes people more willing to break laws. There is no respect for laws that are not enforced.

Priority is another problem because enforcement of copyright cannot take precedence over serious crimes, he said, adding the indifference of people towards IPR violations is yet another aspect that needs to be tackled.

Dr Swati Piramal, Chairperson, CII Maharashtra State Council, pointed out that IPR protection is in our interest, a matter of protecting our own sciences and intellectual property. ''We live in a borderless world; everything is on the Internet so we need to be much more careful. IPR protection is essential with India becoming a knowledge economy,'' Dr Piramal said.

UNI AR SA AW ARB RN2036