India, UK ink two MoUs

India and United Kingdom on Monday signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU)s for cooperation in the field of intellectual property and ease of doing business as part of efforts to improve ties between the two countries.

The MoUs were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May in New Delhi.

The Agreement/ Memorandum of Understanding to be entered between India and United Kingdom are as follows:

1. MoU on Ease of Doing Business between the Government of India and the Government of UK

The MoU intends to make expertise from different departments of the UK Government which have led the ease of doing business drive in the UK available to the relevant departments and agencies of the Government of India. It includes exchange between the officials, sharing of best practices and technical assistance for effective implementation of the initiatives of GOI to improve its ranking in the ease of doing business.

Important areas of cooperation include support to businesses and startups, tax administration, regulatory regimes, competition economics, etc.

2. MoU between the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India and the Intellectual Property Office of the United Kingdom (UK IPO) for cooperation in the field of intellectual property

This MoU envisages establishing a mechanism for furthering cooperation between the Intellectual Property Offices of India and the UK in the field of IP and related information technology services. It will include exchange of best practices, experience and knowledge of IP awareness among the public, businesses, industry, R&D organizations and educational institutions, as well as on processes for disposal of applications for patents, trademarks, industrial designs and geographical indications.

Earlier, after the delegation-level talks, both Prime Minister May with Prime Minister Modi pledged to extend and share best practices in tackling the threat of terrorism as individual countries, partners and as global powers.

Prime Minister May said that Prime Minister Modi and she have agreed to step up cooperation by negotiating a cyber framework between the two countries.

"Both UK and India face an increasing threat of cyber attack from other states, terrorists and criminals operating in cyber space. We both face the shared threat of terrorism as individual countries, as partners, and as global powers. We have agreed to strengthen our cooperation in particular by sharing best practice to tackle use of internet by violent extremists," she added

The British Prime Minister also said that UK will continue to welcome brightest and best students from India to UK to study.

"Prime Minister Modi and I are personally dedicated to invest in UK-India relationship," she added.

Asserting that terrorism is not a limited security challenge and its arc of threat spreads across nations and regions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged his UK counterpart Theresa May to take strong action against states that support and sponsor terrorism.