‘Knowledge on IPR should reach all levels’

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: "Anyone can create wealth by their own innovations and continuous improvements, which will ultimately improve productivity,’’ said N R Madhava Menon while inaugurating the national seminar on ‘IPR in the Knowledge Era’ organised jointly by the Institute of Management in Kerala (IMK) and the Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) at the Science and Technology Museum.

 ‘’Management education and application have given rise to consumerism and IPR is now tuned to this aspect now,’’ said Madhava Menon. He narrated how IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) came into existence through the agricultural and industrial eras and how it has transformed itself in the contemporary IT era.

 ‘’Those countries with a larger workforce will be able to spearhead innovations like that of India and China and that is why the world attention towards these two countries. Half of Indian manpower is technically qualified and that created more organisations which end up utilising the talent. It is imperative that IPR knowledge permeates across all levels of people and the role of women is essential,’’ he said.

 ICT is expected to deliver more productivity and the conventional sector in our country will utilise ICT in creating more opportunities.

He narrated the experiences of pharmaceutical, biotechnology and IT industries in utilising IPR effectively.

 ‘’Most of the companies seeking patents in USA are pharma companies and IT-related companies from India. However, it may be noted that there is a need for protecting our biological diversity and indigenous knowledge through intellectual property law. We need to exploit the advantages the international IPR regime provides under TRIPS for sustaining health and livelihood of the people,’’ he said.

 K S Chandrasekar, Professor and Head, IMK, presided over the function. J Rajan, Professor, IMK; V Ajith Prabhu, Joint Director, KSCSTE and Arul Gerald Prakash, Director, Science and Technology Museum also spoke on the occasion.

More than 150 students and delegates participated in this programme, where there were three technical sessions handled by Dr V P Balagangadharan, Balaram and Safikh.

trivandrum@expressbuzz.com