CSIR-IIIM Jammu Launches National Intellectual Property Festival

Jammu, July 17, 2023: CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM) in Jammu commenced the week-long National Intellectual Property Festival (NIPF) under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) initiative, marking 75 years of India's Independence.

The conference saw the participation of scientists, technocrats, scholars, and students. Dr. Vibha Malhotra Sawhney, Head of Technology Management Directorate (TMD) and Innovation Protection Unit (IPU) at CSIR, delivered the keynote address, shedding light on the significance of various types of intellectual property rights (IPRs) and recent patent trends in India. She shared insights into technology transfers facilitated by CSIR-IIIM and other CSIR labs through leveraging intellectual property.

Dr. Zabeer Ahmed, Director of CSIR-IIIM, provided an overview of the planned events during the six-day IP Festival program from July 17-24, 2023, held across various locations in Jammu, Srinagar, and Leh. He highlighted the value creation potential of intellectual property, emphasizing the need to protect ideas and innovations, converting them into valuable assets. He also mentioned that the celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) will continue until August 2023.

“As part of the AKAM celebrations, CSIR & DSIR, CSIR-IIM will conduct campaigns focused on intellectual property rights (IPR), aligning with the thematic objectives of ATMANIRBHARTA (self-reliance)”.

He said the campaign aims to increase patent, trademark, and copyright registrations, recognizing that legal ownership of ideas, inventions, traditions, and practices is crucial for fostering ATMANIRBHARTA in society.

Dr. Mahendra B Thakre, AVP & Senior Legal Counsel at Viatris, Hyderabad, conducted an informative session titled "Unveiling the Power of Safeguarding Inventions through Intellectual Property Rights." He delved into the drafting of different types of claims for pharmaceutical inventions and discussed patentable aspects of traditional medicines, herbal products, biotechnological, and microbiological inventions.

Dr. Lipika Patnaik, Principal Scientist at CSIR-Innovation Protection Unit (IPU), delivered an online lecture on the requirements of patentability. She emphasized the need to consider the broader societal implications when granting patents, as patentability standards provide the framework for determining eligibility.

Dr. Kokkirala Tejkumar, IP Lead at BDR group of companies, Baroda, Gujarat, shed light on the importance of lead compound identification in invalidating a product patent in the