Bangalore ranks first on e-filing of trademarks

At a time when the protection of intellectual property is being considered of paramount importance for the Indian economy, e-filing of trademarks online is fast catching up in the country.

According to the office of the Registrar of Trademarks, Government of India, the Patent & Trademark office in Bangalore has topped the list of cities in terms of filing of trademarks online. However the Chennai branch of Patent & Trademark Office has filed the highest number of trademarks in India.

“There are many ordinary people who have novel inventions, but do not have the means to bring it out in public. In India, the Chennai branch of the Patent & Trademark Office has the highest number of trademarks filed and Bangalore stands first in the e-filing of trademarks online,” N D Kasthuri, deputy registrar of trademarks, Government of India said.

With an aim to spread awareness on the role and importance of intellectual property in all walks of like, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) along with the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) conducted a seminar on Intellectual Property Rights here recently.

Talking on the subject of traditional knowledge and GI protection in the seminar, Kasthuri said a whole lot of broad areas like traditional medicine, handicrafts and many village practices come under GI protection.

Aroon Raman, vice-chairman, CII Karnataka and MD, Raman Fibre Science, said, globalisation and liberalisation had dramatically increased the importance of IPR in India. IPR plays a vital role in enhancing the socio-economic prosperity of the nation. “It is necessary to have strong nationwide awareness on the role IPR can play in businesses and capacity building initiatives for an IP system to leverage maximum benefit. If IPR awareness can be taken further into the social strata we can unleash a terrific flow of creativity,” he added.

In recent days, the government has amended legislations with response to emerging challenges posed by new developments relating to Intellectual Property Rights. The government has amended The Patents Act 1970 in 2005, and has created new legislations in the area, including the Design Act 2000, the Trademarks Act 1999, and the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registrations and Protections) Act 1999.

N L Mitra, Sr Partner, Fox & Mandal said legal system of the country with relation to intellectual property was still in a fledgling state. “We view IPR laws and regulations in a more relaxed manner than it should be,” he said stressing on the need to propose separate acts for separate sectors.