The 1st International Conference on Intellectual Property Law and Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) under the umbrella of its flagship event ‘Knowledgexpo’ concluded on November 21, 2014.  The two day conference was well received by various sections of the Industry, think tanks, legal fraternity, academia as well as other stakeholders from India and abroad.

The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) and Intellectual Property Office (IPO) partnered with CII in this first of its kind initiative. Experts in the domain of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) from India and abroad discussed issues such as counterfeiting and piracy plaguing different industry verticals. Mr. Kenichiro Natsume (Director – PCT International Co-operation Division, World Intellectual Property Organisation), was one of the key International speakers participating on the second day of this International conference.

The Panelists shared their views on the impact of piracy on various sectors such as the entertainment sector, the IT sector, the Auto sector and the Publications sector. They expressed concern over the alarming rates of piracy in the IT, publishing and entertainment sectors. They emphasized that the menace of piracy not only results in commercial loss to content owners and authors but also has larger ramifications such as loss of jobs, loss of revenue to exchequer, aiding anti-social elements apart from other perils to the society as a whole.

In the discussions on impact of counterfeiting on auto sector, the panelists echoed similar concerns. They also flagged issues pertaining to safety and security associated with the use of counterfeit products. The speakers for all sessions spoke in unison over the need to simplify the redressal mechanism and strengthen as well sensitize the enforcement agencies on IPR related crimes. The excellent mix of speakers shared their views and key recommendations.

In the session on the Impact of Piracy in the Indian Entertainment Sector, Mr Uday Singh, MD, Motion Picture Association (India) highlighted that the best way to address the issue of piracy is to bring out the Cinematograph Bill and Anti-camcording law besides the need for our Copyright Law to adequately address the issue of Technological Protection Measures. In the same session Mr Kenichiro Natsume, Director PCT, WIPO shared international best practices and mentioned that intensive awareness campaigns and capacity building of enforcement officials will be of immense help in curbing the menace of piracy.

Speaking in session the on Impact of Piracy on the Indian IT Sector , Ms Bishakha Bhattacharya, Director - Government Relations & Public Policy, NASSCOM shared with the audience that the IT industry forms the backbone of the Indian economy and possesses huge capacity to innovate. While there is awareness about IPR, however, there exists is a need to sensitize SMEs about emerging technologies for business success, besides potential impact of piracy.

Addressing the session on Impact of Counterfeiting on the Indian auto sector , Mr. Deep Kapuria, Chairman Hi-Tech Group of companies said that counterfeit products are penetrating legitimate and highly secure supply chains. He said that there is a significant impact of counterfeiting in auto sector since consumers get inferior quality products, which poses a severe threat to their health and safety. Addressing the same session,  Mr Vinnie Mehta, Director General, ACMA highlighted the threat posed by piracy and counterfeiting on industrial growth, consumer safety and the national economy. He said that the offenses pertaining to counterfeiting and piracy should be made cognizable and non-bailable and that there is a  greater need to educate police officials on the need for taking IPR matters on priority. 

While delivering the speech in the session on Socio Economic Impact of Piracy in the Publication Sector ,Mr Sesh Seshadri, Secretary, Association of Publishers in India, highlighted that piracy in publishing sector is acting as a strong disincentive. He added that there is a need for a coordinated action on creating public propaganda against pirated books, lobbying with the governments for stricter laws, help enforcement agencies in identifying manufacturers and sellers of pirated books besides blacklisting distributors of pirated books.

Greater Noida

November 21, 2014