Series of steps taken to strengthen IPR regime: DPIIT Secy

The government has taken a series of measures, including reducing the number of forms for trademarks and patents, to further strengthen the country's IPR (intellectual property rights) regime, a top government official said on Tuesday. Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Anurag Jain also said several steps have been taken to enhance innovation and the knowledge economy.

"We have the third largest startup ecosystem...We have reached a level of 80 startups being registered every day in our country, which is the highest in the world," he said here at a conference.

He said that in trade marks, there used to be 74 forms but now they have been reduced to just eight and similarly for patents, all the forms were scrapped and now there is only one form.

To increase awareness about IPR, he said there is a need to inculcate seeds of IP in the minds of young people.

"It (IP) has been included in the course of NCERT. There is a lot of engagement with colleges. We have set up 18 IPR chairs, and 135 IPR cells have been created in various colleges and universities," Jain added.