'Innovators should be encouraged to register their patents'

Ahmedabad, April 26 (UNI) Chairman of National Innovation Foundation, of the Union Department of Science and Technology, Prof Anil Gupta today said industries were not showing enough interest in helping innovators to register their patents and make use of them for the masses, and this was quite unfortunate.

Mr Gupta, also the founder of grass-root organisations 'Sristi' and 'Gian', was addressing a seminar on 'Intellectual Property for Small and Medium Enterprises'.

The seminar has been jointly organised by the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, to celebrate World Intellectual Property Day.

''Although Gujarat and Rajasthan are the only manufacturers of 'isabgul' in India, most of it is exported in the form of raw material. Secondly, as against 948 patents registered in the world for 'isabgul' products, only five such patents have been registered in Gujarat,'' said Prof Gupta.

''Gujarat 'isabgul' will shortly be used as an ingredient for Pizza bases and bread, which is a wonderful value-addition to the product. Such grass-root innovations need to be popularised and marketed for its benefits to the society,'' he said.

He said ''Similarly notable research and innovations have been carried out for diffusion of light through street lamps and spread of medicines to the specific area of pain and disease apart from research in drug sector. Gujarat has about 40 per cent of share in the total production of drugs in India,'' he said.

However, apathy prevails in registering patents of these innovations and research, he said and appealed members of the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce to form linkages and network with those engaged in research, innovation and technological breakthroughs.

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