Copyright
and Semi-Conductors brought under the ambit of Department of Industrial Policy
Government of India has
announced that copyright and semiconductors are to be brought under the ambit of
the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). The news was revealed
by DIPP, Joint Secretary, Rajiv Aggarwal at a seminar on ‘Managing Copyright in
Publishing’ organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI) along with the department and World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO) on March 31, 2016.
The move of shifting
copyright from the Human Resource Development Ministry (HRD) and semiconductors
from the purview of the Department of Information Technology is being touted as
a welcome development by many. The transfer has the consequence of consolidating
all IP related functions in one body, with the hope of reducing turf wars
between different departments with regard to jurisdiction and uniformity in
decision making at national and international levels. The DIPP is already
administering the Patents Act, 1970, The Trade Marks Act, 1999, The Designs
Act, 2000 and the Geographical Indication of Goods (Registration and
Protection) Act, 1999 and also matters pertaining to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) and World Intellectual Property Organization.
It remains to be seen
that the underlying objective behind the department re-shuffling is
successfully achieved and till then, the universal truth remains that the DIPP has
now become an all-powerful body, covering almost all species of IP laws in
India.
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