Microsoft establishes IPR Chair at Gujarat National Law University

Chair will consist of one professor, a research associate and an administrative secretariat with an administrative assistant

For the first time, Microsoft India has established a dedicated Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Chair at the Gujarat National Law University (GNLU).

The Microsoft Chair will consist of one full-time Professor, a research associate and an administrative secretariat along with an administrative assistant. The focus will be on capacity creation, development of policy research and thought leadership in IPR laws in India. Over the next five years, Microsoft and GNLU will develop suitable academic research projects; provide a framework for analyzing the impact of IPR Law and policy on development and growth of the Indian economy and disseminate knowledge and information on IPR Law and Policy through outreach programs in India. In the long run, this initiative also aims to help bridge the gap between university and industry on issues related to Intellectual Property Rights.

Horacio Gutierrez, Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Microsoft in his message said, “As India continues its development into a knowledge economy, recognition of and respect for Intellectual Property law is critical. We are excited to set up a Chair for Intellectual Property at Gujarat National Law University and believe that it will help drive a significant amount of research in this area. Our ultimate aim with this initiative is to foster continuous research, academic collaboration and capacity building in Intellectual Property laws and policies.”

The Chair has been officially launched on February 26, 2014, at Gujarat National Law University by Jim Banowsky, managing director, International Patents. Legal and Corporate Affairs, Microsoft at Redmond, Washington along with Bimal Patel, Director, Gujarat National Law University.  Vipin Aggarwal, Senior Attorney and Director IP, Legal & Corporate Affairs, Microsoft Corporation (India) was also present at the occasion. The focus of this initiative will be on undertaking policy-relevant cutting edge research. Organizing training workshops to deliberate on research and research outcomes, augmenting the GNLU library with IT-IPR related books, latest research reports, and databases and participating in national and international workshops/seminars by members of the Microsoft Chair.

Bimal Patel, Director, Gujarat National Law University said: “We view this as an important and impactful initiative that will enable GNLU to promote teaching and research in Intellectual Property Rights. The availability of this funding will augment academic partnerships with the institutions of Governance, judiciary, economy and civil society, thereby enabling us to carry out quality applied legal and interdisciplinary research in various areas. We expect that the creation of the Chair will help us become more competitive and attract the right talent for our academic projects.” he added.