September 26, 2020
India and Denmark have signed an MOU to increase cooperation in Intellectual Property Rights.
According to the Global IP Index 2020, India holds the 40th position out of a list of 53 countries.
This MOU provides opportunities to both countries to learn from each other and exchange IP expertise.
India’s IP strength lies in its efforts to combat piracy, trademark infringement, PPH programme, and IP based R&D.
To foster creativity and innovation, adhering to the objectives of National IPR Policy,2016, India seeks to become a major player in global innovation, and has entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Denmark in the field of Intellectual Property (IP) Cooperation. This was signed between the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade(DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Danish Patent and Trademark Office, Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, Kingdom of Denmark. Dr Guruprasad Mohapatra, Secretary, DPIIT and Mr. Freddy Svane, Ambassador of Denmark conducted a formal signing ceremony for the same. The two sides also aim to devise a Biennial Work Plan to implement the MoU.
This MoU will go a long way in fostering the cooperation between India and Denmark. It aims to increase IP cooperation between the two nations to barter best practices, experiences, and know-how on IP awareness among various stakeholders, and to collaborate for training programmes, exchange of expertise and varied outreach activities. This would help in the sequencing of applications for patents, trademarks, industrial designs, and for the correct use of IP rights. The MoU is also aimed at enhancing cooperation in development of automation and implementation of modernisation projects, new documentation and information systems in IP and procedures for management of IP and understanding ways to protect traditional knowledge.
Today India holds the 40th rank in the Global IP Index 2020. India has remained a global leader for the creation and use of IP assets for SMEs. According to the index, India’s key strength areas in IP domain include strong efforts to combat copyright piracy through 2019, precedent-setting case law on online trademark infringement and damages, new pilot patent prosecution highway (PPH) programme and generous R&D along with IP-based incentives. The 2016 National IPR Policy, ensured that the Indian government focussed on supporting investments in innovation and creativity through increasingly robust IP protection. Implementation of the policy has resulted in improving rates of patent and trademark pendency, greater awareness of IP rights among Indian innovators.