WIPO and India

World Intellectual Property Organisation established in 1967, is the global forum for intellectual property services, policy, information and cooperation. It is a self-funding agency of the United Nations, with 188 member states. India became member state in 1975

Its mission is to lead the development of a balanced and effective international Intellectual Property (IP) system that enables innovation and creativity for the benefit of all. It helps governments, businesses and society realize the benefits of IP. WIPO provides the following facilities

· a policy forum to shape balanced international IP rules for a changing world

· global services to protect IP across borders and to resolve disputes

·  technical infrastructure to connect IP systems and share knowledge

· cooperation and capacity-building programs to enable all countries to use IP for economic, social and cultural development

Main IP Laws: enacted by the Union Legislature

· The Patents Act, 1970 (as amended up to Patents (Amendment) Act, 2005) (2013)

· The Copyright (Amendment) Act, 2012 

· The Trade Marks (Amendment) Act, 2010 

· Patents (Amendment) Act, 2005 (Act No. 15 of 2005) 

·Patents (Amendment) Act, 2002 

· Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act, 2001 

·The Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Act, 2000 

· The Designs Act, 2000 

· Copyright (Amendment) Act, 1999

· The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 

·The Trade Marks Act, 1999 

·Patents (Amendment) Act, 1999 

·Copyright Act, 1957 (as consolidated up to Act No. 49 of 1999) 

·Copyright (Amendment) Act, 1994 

IP-related Laws: enacted by the Union Legislature

·         The Competition Act 2002 

·         Biological Diversity Act, 2002 

·         The Seeds (Amendment) Act, 1972 

·         The Seeds Act 1966

What is Intellectual Property?

Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind: inventions; literary and artistic works; and symbols, names and images used in commerce. . Intellectual property is divided into two categories:

·  Industrial Property includes patents for inventions, trademarks, industrial designs and geographical indications.

·    Copyright covers literary works (such as novels, poems and plays), films, music, artistic works (e.g., drawings, paintings, photographs and sculptures) and architectural design. Rights related to copyright include those of performing artists in their performances, producers of phonograms in their recordings, and broadcasters in their radio and television programs.

What is a Patent?

A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention – a product or process that provides a new way of doing something, or that offers a new technical solution to a problem. A patent provides patent owners with protection for their inventions. Protection is granted for a limited period, generally 20 years

What is a trademark?

A trademark is a distinctive sign that identifies certain goods or services produced or provided by an individual or a company

What is a Geographical Indication?

A geographical indication is a sign used on goods that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation due to that place of origin. Most commonly, a geographical indication consists of the name of the place of origin of the goods.

What are Copyright?

Copyright laws grant authors, artists and other creators protection for their literary and artistic creations, generally referred to as “works”.

What is an Industrial Design?

An industrial design refers to the ornamental or aesthetic aspects of an article. A design may consists of three-dimensional features, such as the shape or surface of an article or two-dimensional features ,such as patterns, lines or colour.