The decision of The Council of
Scientific and Industrial Research's (CSIR) to streamline its patent
holding framework was covered in an article in the Times of India,
Editorial, dated October 10, 2008.
This decision is being seen as a welcome move and one of great importance in a booming economy like India, where the number of patents being filed are rapidly increasing very year. As mentioned in the article "As the country's largest patent holder - it (CSIR) has a little over 3,000 of them in force - its role in managing intellectual property (IP) is crucial, even more so because it's publicly funded. Its proposal to transfer these patents to a discrete company that will interface closely with the private sector has the potential to set an important precedent".
Comparing the meager amount of patent granted in India in 2007 at 15,262 granted for 35,000 applications filed, with the quarter million granted in China, this decision is expected to be advantageous in leading the country's patent system to prosperity. CSIR's move has the potential to narrow the gap to some extent, leading the way in incentivising a moribund structure. With its spin-off company set to initiate joint ventures with private partners and license IP, claim filers will have a real prospect of substantial monetary gains. Funding is the lubricant in any process of innovation.
Creating a pipeline to funnel IP from the government to the private sector can go beyond merely being a boost to innovation. It has the potential to bring transparency to a system that has been accused of being too closed and prone to conflicts of interest and also if CSIR's gamble pays off - for which it is essential that the government enforce a regulatory framework that ensures the financial and intellectual rights of claim holders - it could herald a shift in the way the IP market operates in India can be seen as some of the positive outcomes of this "Innovation Boosting" resolution of CSIR.
This decision is being seen as a welcome move and one of great importance in a booming economy like India, where the number of patents being filed are rapidly increasing very year. As mentioned in the article "As the country's largest patent holder - it (CSIR) has a little over 3,000 of them in force - its role in managing intellectual property (IP) is crucial, even more so because it's publicly funded. Its proposal to transfer these patents to a discrete company that will interface closely with the private sector has the potential to set an important precedent".
Comparing the meager amount of patent granted in India in 2007 at 15,262 granted for 35,000 applications filed, with the quarter million granted in China, this decision is expected to be advantageous in leading the country's patent system to prosperity. CSIR's move has the potential to narrow the gap to some extent, leading the way in incentivising a moribund structure. With its spin-off company set to initiate joint ventures with private partners and license IP, claim filers will have a real prospect of substantial monetary gains. Funding is the lubricant in any process of innovation.
Creating a pipeline to funnel IP from the government to the private sector can go beyond merely being a boost to innovation. It has the potential to bring transparency to a system that has been accused of being too closed and prone to conflicts of interest and also if CSIR's gamble pays off - for which it is essential that the government enforce a regulatory framework that ensures the financial and intellectual rights of claim holders - it could herald a shift in the way the IP market operates in India can be seen as some of the positive outcomes of this "Innovation Boosting" resolution of CSIR.
