Madurai malli, Dindigul lock line up for patent

CHENNAI: Three weeks after it filed an application to patent the Thanjavur veena, the Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology (TNSCST) is preparing a list of 10 other indigenous products to make moves for a similar exercise.

Madurai malli (jasmine) and Dindugul Lock will figure in the proposed list that will be finalised soon, TNSCST Member secretary S Vincent told Express.

The council also plans to introduce a slew of programmes to aid the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises in filing of patents for indigenous technologies and products. On Wednesday, as a part of the programme, an intellectual property facilitation centre for MSME was launched in the Directorate of Technical Education Campus in the city.

The Rs 46-lakh centre was established through funds provided by the Ministry of Micro small and medium enterprises and Government of India. The centre is expected to conduct patent searches, patent filings and prosecution for the MSME sector.

Vincent said the patent facilitation centre would be networked with patent cells established in five varsities across the state: Madras University, Bharathidasan University, Madurai Kamaraj University, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University and Bharathiar University. “We will ensure decentralised functioning and easier access to applicants,” he added.

S Sivagnanam, director of MSME Development Institute, speaking at the inauguration, speaking at the inauguration, said the several measures had been taken to boost patents from MSME sector.

The government now provides a grant of Rs 20,000 for filing a domestic patent and Rs 2 lakh for filing an international patent. But the people are barely aware of the existence of such schemes,” he added.

About 40 per cent of the entire manufacturing output comes from the MSME sector, which employs over 80 per cent of those working in industries. “Hence the government is keen on reforms,” Sivagnanam added.