{"id":44365,"date":"2025-01-05T12:46:04","date_gmt":"2025-01-05T07:16:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=44365"},"modified":"2025-05-06T10:43:03","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T05:13:03","slug":"patents-and-intellectual-property-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/patents-and-intellectual-property-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"DPIIT Deregisters Patent Agent Over Alleged Misconduct"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Why in the News?<\/li>\n<li>Understanding Patents and Intellectual Property (IP) Rights<\/li>\n<li>Patent Act, 1970<\/li>\n<li>National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy, 2016<\/li>\n<li>News Summary<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Why in the News?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>A patent agent has been removed from the Register of Patent Agents for \u201calleged professional misconduct\u201d by a committee formed by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Understanding Patents and Intellectual Property (IP) Rights<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Definition of Patents:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>A patent is a type of intellectual property right that grants an inventor exclusive rights over their invention for a limited time, as approved by the government.<\/li>\n<li>It prevents others from copying or using the invention without permission.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Types of Patents:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Product Patent:<\/strong> Protects the final product, ensuring no one else can manufacture or sell it without the patent holder&#8217;s consent during the patent period.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Process Patent:<\/strong> Allows others to produce the patented product by altering the manufacturing process.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Historical Context in India:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Initially, India adopted <strong>process patenting<\/strong> in the 1970s, which enabled the country to become a global leader in producing generic drugs.<\/li>\n<li>Post-TRIPS Agreement (an international trade agreement under the WTO), India also introduced <strong>product patenting<\/strong> to comply with global standards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Patent Act, 1970<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Patents Act, 1970, and its accompanying rules (Patents Rules, 1972) came into effect in April 1972, replacing the earlier Indian Patents and Designs Act, 1911.<\/li>\n<li>It was based on recommendations from the <strong>Ayyangar Committee Report<\/strong>, led by Justice N. Rajagopala Ayyangar.<\/li>\n<li><strong>India\u2019s International Patent Commitments:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Paris Convention (1998):<\/strong> Covers various aspects of industrial property, such as patents, trademarks, and industrial designs, to promote international protection.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Patent Cooperation Treaty (1998):<\/strong> Simplifies patent filing across multiple countries.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Budapest Treaty (2001):<\/strong> Eases the process of depositing microorganisms for patent purposes internationally.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amendments:<\/strong> The Patents Act has been amended several times to stay updated with global trends and domestic needs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2021:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Notified By:<\/strong> The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in September 2021.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Key Changes:<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Expanded Applicant Categories:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Educational institutions are now included as a distinct category alongside natural persons, startups, and small entities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rebates on Filing Fees:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Educational institutions can avail an 80% rebate on patent filing fees, encouraging innovation and the commercialization of new technologies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy, 2016<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Union Cabinet approved the IPR Policy in 2016 to provide a strategic roadmap for managing IPRs in India.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Theme:<\/strong><i>&#8220;Creative India; Innovative India&#8221;<\/i><\/li>\n<li><strong>Objectives:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Awareness and Promotion:<\/strong> Educate society on the economic, social, and cultural benefits of IPRs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fostering Innovation:<\/strong> Encourage the generation and protection of new IPRs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Legal Modernization:<\/strong> Replace outdated laws with effective IPR laws that balance owner rights and public interest.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Human Capital Development:<\/strong> Build capacity in teaching, research, and skill-building in IPR.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Efficient Administration:<\/strong> Strengthen the IPR administration to make it modern and service-oriented.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Commercialization:<\/strong> Maximize the economic value of IPRs through commercialization.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Enforcement:<\/strong> Reinforce mechanisms to combat IPR infringements effectively.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>News Summary<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In a landmark decision, a patent agent, Naveen Chaklan, has been removed from the <strong>Register of Patent Agents<\/strong> for alleged professional misconduct.<\/li>\n<li>The decision was made by a five-member ad-hoc committee formed by the <strong>Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)<\/strong> under the direction of the Delhi High Court.<\/li>\n<li>The committee found Chaklan guilty of negligence, resulting in harassment, financial loss, and mental agony for his client, <strong>Saurav Chaudhary<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Case Highlights:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Chaklan charged Chaudhary Rs 51,000 for filing and expediting a patent application for a sewing machine in 2019. However, the application was deemed abandoned as Chaklan failed to inform the client about the <strong>First Examination Report (FER)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Chaudhary filed a writ petition in 2023 seeking restoration of the patent application, prompting the High Court to direct the formation of an ad-hoc committee to investigate misconduct by patent agents.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Findings and Actions:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The committee noted that 60% of the over 100 applications filed by Chaklan were either abandoned or withdrawn, raising questions about his fiduciary duty, ethical conduct, and accountability.<\/li>\n<li>Chaklan claimed his mistake was unintentional, citing lack of mentorship and resources as a solo practitioner. He criticized the decision as &#8220;harsh and disproportional.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>The committee observed that this case serves as an example to reinforce accountability and ethical practices among patent agents.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Broader Implications:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The High Court directed CGPDTM to draft and publish a <strong>Code of Conduct<\/strong> for patent and trademark agents to regulate professional behaviour.<\/li>\n<li>A framework for handling complaints against patent and trademark agents must also be established by the same deadline.<\/li>\n<li>Until then, complaints will be handled by an ad-hoc committee consisting of officials and senior IP practitioners with at least 15 years of experience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Q1. What is the main difference between copyright and patent?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Copyright is an automatic right which protects original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works. A Patent is a registered right that gives the owner exclusive right to features and processes of inventions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Q2. What is Fair Use Policy?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Fair use is a legal doctrine that allows the use of copyrighted material without the copyright holder&#8217;s permission under certain circumstances. It&#8217;s an affirmative defense that can be used in response to a copyright owner&#8217;s claim of infringement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong> : <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/business\/dpiit-committee-deregisters-patent-agent-misconduct-9760227\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A patent agent has been removed for \u201calleged professional misconduct.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":44366,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-44365","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}