The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) recently launched a website and mobile application (Learn to Protect, Secure, and Maximise Your Innovation) for intellectual property rights (IPRs), earlier this week.
The digital platforms- L2Pro India e-learning platform and mobile app- aim to educate start-ups on issues related to IP processes.
The website and app have been developed by the Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM)-DPIIT, in collaboration with Qualcomm and the National Law University (NLU), Delhi.
At the launch, the Secretary of DPIIT said the initiative will be useful to the start-up community, which is crucial for the development of India and its economy.
According to a press release, start-ups lack legal knowledge but are more tuned into investment and risk-taking.
Currently, as the fourth industrial revolution begins, the interface between technology and law is growing. Start-ups must have access to adequate resources on IP processes.
The modules of the e-learning platforms will educate youth, innovators, entrepreneurs, and SMEs in the area of IPRs for their ownership and protection, the integration of IP into business models, and to obtain value for their R&D efforts.
The L2Pro has been successfully implemented in Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and France.
In India, it has been benefiting from close collaboration with respective IP organisations and public research institutions.
The app has been customised for India to ensure that innovation, which is fundamental to the success of a start-up, is protected, managed and commercialised.
The L2Pro e-learning platform will include 11 modules for three different levels; basic, intermediate, and advanced.
Other features of L2Pro e-learning platform include e-texts for concepts, animated videos of concepts, links to additional resources, quizzes for assessment, and a grading system for the learner’s knowledge and understanding of the subject will be a part of each module.
Learners can access the L2Pro platform through their desktop, laptop, mobile browser, and mobile application (available on Android and iOS.) They will also be provided with e-certificates by CIPAM-DPIIT, NLU Delhi, and Qualcomm on the successful completion of the e-learning modules.
The CIPAM is a nodal agency under the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP). Its mandate is to effectively implement the National Intellectual Property Rights Policy adopted in May 2016. It has made several steps to strengthen India’s IP ecosystem.
The National Intellectual Property Rights Policy India
- The policy sets in place an institutional mechanism for implementation, monitoring, and review.
- It recognises that India has a well-established trade related intellectual property rights (TRIPs)-compliant legislative, administrative, and judicial framework to safeguard IPRs.
- It aims to balance the interests of rights owners and larger public interest.
- It creates awareness about IPRs as a marketable financial asset and economic tool.
- It positions India as an economy conducive to innovation and enables the channelising of the strengths of various stakeholders for the same.
- It aims to create a predictable IP regime with a stable, transparent, and service-oriented IPR administration to stimulate creativity and innovation.
- The policy will be reviewed every five years.