IPR implications discussed at Science City

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 18

The Pushpa Gujral Science City, in collaboration with Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council, GoI, organised a two-day webinar series on the Intellectual Property Rights.

The first day focused on researchers and industry, whereas stress was laid on the commercial aspects of the community as a whole on the second day. Concepts such as trademarks, Geographic Indications and farmers’ rights were discussed. Vishnumohan Rethinam, Trademarks Attorney, said trademarks were one of the few assets which could provide a long-term competitive advantage and identity to the business.

“Businesses use trademarks in advertising, on product packaging and while dealing with customers, add brand value to the products. Customers associate trademarks with quality of the product and are in the habit of comparing the product manufactured by other companies. It helps to distinguish products and services from those of competitors and help identify one as the source of manufacturing and selling good quality products. Most of the infringements in businesses happen because of trademarks,” he said.

Dr HS Chawla (Retd), GB Pant University for Agriculture and Technology, gave a presentation on plant varieties, their protection and farmers’ rights. He said these rights encouraged the development and cultivation of new varieties of crops. “It grants IPRs to plant breeders, researchers and farmers who have developed any new or extant plant varieties. Farmers are entitled to save, use, sow, re-sow, exchange or sell their farm produce including seed of a registered variety in an unbranded manner. Farmers’ varieties are eligible for registration and farmers are exempted from payment of any fee in any proceedings under this Act. The period of protection for field crops is 15 years and for trees and vines, it is 18 years. For notified varieties, it is 15 years from the date of notification, under Section 5 of the Seeds Act, 1966. The annual fee has to be paid every year for maintaining the registration and the renewal fee has to be paid for the extended period of registration,” he said. Divya Kaushik, Scientist at the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology, said Patent Information Centre set up at the council office in Chandigarh was one of the two centres in the country.