'Copyright Board to be fully functional by year end'

The copyright board and the intellectual property appellate board (IPAB) is in the process of merging and will be fully functional by the end of this year, a senior government official said here today.
"The copyright board will merge with the IPAB and will be fully functional by the end of this year. They are also in the process of choosing a head," OP Gupta, Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademark, Government of India, said while addressing a conference in the city.
He indicated that the government will expedite the approvals of copyrights to under three months.
"Currently, we are working towards fast tracking copyright approvals to under three months. In fact, we expect to approve them in one month going forward," Gupta said.

He also said that once the copyright board is functional, all pending issues will be addressed.
The entire bogey relating to copyright had been shifted to the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) from the HRD ministry last year, to promote and drive more innovation following the Make in India campaign.

The government has also created an awareness cell for intellectual property promotion management and is working on spreading knowledge on copyright issues and infringement, Gupta said.
"We are working on awareness programmes for schools and colleges, and this year more than 200 institutions will be covered under this IPR promotion," he added.

"The new generation has to get a different perspective on intellectual property," he further said.