'IPR is tool for wealth creation'

The Uttar Pradesh government has advocated preparing a blueprint of not only creating awareness towards Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), but also wealth creation by the stakeholders. “There is an urgent need to facilitate dialogue process towards exchanging of valuable information and developments to not protect IPR, but reaping economic benefits of the enormous biodiversity and agriculture resources in UP,” said state Agriculture Education and Research Minister Raj Pal Tyagi.

Tyagi was addressing the inaugural session of two-day National Training on Fundamentals of IPR organised by UP Council of Agricultural Research (UPCAR) here. He said a comprehensive strategy was required for UP so that inventions by scientists, property created out of innovation, traditional knowledge and geographical indications (GI) were protected under IPR to realise maximum benefit under the new trade order emerging globally.

Citing examples of GI certification to Dussehri mango and Banarasi brocade and sari, Tyagi said there were several other crafts and crops in UP, which could be protected under IPR. “Although IPR is a powerful tool for wealth creation, people do not realize this fact and awareness is the only key to this end,” said UPCAR Director General Kapil Dev averred. UPCAR secretary and state agriculture director Rajit Ram Verma said the objective of the awareness campaign was to demystify the concept of IPR. “People are breaking the IPR laws without even knowing it.”