The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : “Fill vacancies in Intellectual Property Appellate Board”

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Sunday, Apr 24, 2011
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“Fill vacancies in Intellectual Property Appellate Board”

Special Correspondent

— Photo: S.S. Kumar

(From left) Former chairman of Intellectual Property Appellate Board S. Jagadeesan, Madras High Court Judge Justice S. Rajeswaran, IPAB vice-chairman S. Usha and IRBA president K. Rajasekaran, at a function in Chennai on Saturday.

CHENNAI: It is vital to provide the infrastructure and respective forum to enforce intellectual property rights, S. Jagadeesan, former chairman, Intellectual Property Appellate Board, Chennai, has said.

The IPAB is an independent judicial authority and in order for it to function effectively, it is the duty of the government to provide due accommodation for the regular sittings of the IPAB in different regions. “This is absolutely lacking,” Mr. Jagadeesan charged. During his term at the office, he said, he was able to function effectively only for about 1.5 years. In the remaining period, the office had neither the infrastructure nor the staff to execute its tasks.

He urged the government to fill all vacancies in the Board, in order to provide for effective functioning of the forum. “If this continues, I won't be surprised if a day comes when the Vice-Chairman, acting as chairman, may act also as they court officer, as well as the clerk,” Mr. Jagadeesan said. The IPAB must also be provided with sufficient funds to have their sittings in different regions.

He was speaking at a function to mark the launch of the Intellectual Property Rights Bar Association held in association with the Indo-Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The retired Judge of Madras High Court also urged the members of the Bar to be united and be content with just one association.

S.Rajeswaran, Judge, Madras High Court, in his inaugural address said, that in a country like India teeming with millions of poor people, a balance had to be struck between ensuring the development of IP and not depriving the poor of their basic necessities. There are reports that many multinational companies get into a cartel and enter into a price war at the cost of the consumers.

Mr. Justice Rajeswaran said much progress was being made with reference to Geographical Indication – notable in the case of Kancheepuram silk saris, Tirupati laddus, Thanjavur Talayatti Bommai and Tirunelveli Halwa. He suggested that a research and development institute be set up in Chennai to attract young talent from the faculties of medicine, engineering and pharmacology, and combining it with legal practices in IPR.

Aaron Benesch, Vice Consul, United States Consulate General, Chennai, said persons of Indian origin file 10 per cent of the patents in the U.S. The concept of IP and its importance must be fostered in developing nations. In India, it was particularly important, as innovations were being churned out at a furious pace.

N. Krishnaswami, president, Indo-Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the forum had decided to go beyond promotion of trade and industry and educate the businessmen and lawyers on this very vital subject of IPR. Japan was the country where the largest number of patents were being filed every year, he added. K.Rajasekaran, president, IPRBA, also spoke.

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