FE Report

Industries Minister Dilip Barua Wednesday said the government is planning to introduce an intellectual property policy to protect the country's intellectual properties and encourage people to build a knowledge-based society.

"We are proceeding towards introducing an intellectual property policy to protect our innovations and other merit-based works as well as to encourage others in such works," he said.

The Industries Minister was addressing a press conference at his office on the meeting on 'High Level Forum on the Strategic Use of Intellectual Property for Prosperity and Development', held in Geneva on July 23-24. Some 78 representatives from 33 countries attended the meeting and announced a joint declaration.

Barua chaired the sessions in the two-day meeting as the chairman of the 49 least developed countries (LDCs) in the Forum.

He said currently there is no law in the country to protect various local intellectual properties.

Barua also said the government has drafted a new law relating to 'geographical indications', under which, the country's unique things like Hilsha, Neem, Jute and cultural assets etc will be patented.

It will also take steps to protect the common assets in the region, he said, adding that some natural and cultural assets belong to many counties, and the goverment wants to resolve such issues with the help of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The minister said he has requested the WIPO for promoting public private partnership (PPP) to ensure development-friendly intellectual property utilisation in the LDCs.

"We have already submitted to the ministry a draft law regarding 'geographical indications' that will be sent to the law ministry for vetting," said Enamul Hoque, director general of Patent, Design and Trademark Directorate.