The speakers at the celebration event of World Intellectual Property Day in RGU had unanimously stressed on the necessity of spreading the culture of patenting among the state’s innovators, researchers and also for acquiring Geographical Indication (GI) tags for various products and handicrafts which are the exclusive ‘brainchildren’ of the state’s people. Till now, from Arunachal Pradesh there are only a handful of patent filing activities and the only GI tag registered is that of the Arunachal Orange (Wakro).This does not necessarily mean that there is any lack of innovation and research activities in the state or no more unique products to offer to  the world. That what is needed is the strengthening of the patent  ecosystem which would automatically attract the pool of dedicated innovators  and involve them in the process of getting legal recognition of their talents. This is a hard truth, since an invention is not a property of the inventor until it is patented.
And as the world increasingly becomes a knowledge based society with innovative activities changing the way we lead lives almost every day, the words --intellectual property rights are also taking the centre stage. The new laws have ushered in the much needed welcome break from the earlier era, when creations and inventions were common properties and anybody could use and copy them without any restriction, reservation or payment. But thankfully it is now a universal phenomenon and any invention is the exclusive intellectual property of the owner and for any further dealings with it, commercial or otherwise, a prior permission is essential.Thus it goes without saying that patenting is as important as inventing.
The usefulness of enjoying  Intellectual Property Rights are gradually getting realized in the Indian research and commercial landscape, particularly when viewed in the light of the creeping start-up culture which have gripped the young generation strongly. As per the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) data, as many as 120 start-ups have been granted patents under the expedited examination process out of a total of 450 applications since 2016. In International IP Index 2019 released last February by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Centre (GIPC), India has also climbed eight places in rankings from 44th in 2018 to 36th this year.
The state’s ethnic populace living in close proximity to nature possess authentic knowledge on utilization of the diverse bio-resources. They have preserved  the indigenous knowledge systems since centuries and  it is high time to knock their doors, unlock their treasure troves and give the recognitions they deserve for long.
IPR & GI has the potential to be the turning point not only for them but also for the whole state. 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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