Previous Year Question

Statement 1 is correct. India's National Intellectual Property Rights Policy, 2016 explicitly recognises that India has a TRIPS-compliant legislative, administrative and judicial framework while retaining the flexibilities available under the international regime to address developmental concerns.

The Policy specifically reiterates India's commitment to the—

Doha Development Agenda, and TRIPS Agreement.

TRIPS stands for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. It is an important agreement under the WTO framework dealing with minimum standards of intellectual-property protection.

At the same time, public-interest and development-related flexibilities remain important within the TRIPS framework. In this context, the Doha Development Agenda and the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health have been particularly significant for developing countries.

Statement 2 is also correct. Under the National IPR Policy, the then Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) was assigned the role of nodal department for coordinating the implementation and future development of IPRs.

Its role included—

coordination, guidance, and oversight of IPR-related actions across different Ministries and Departments.

In the current institutional framework, the department functions as the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and remains the nodal department for IPR policy and administration of various IPR laws.

The Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) was also established under the department to advance the objectives of the National IPR Policy, promote awareness and strengthen the IPR ecosystem.

The seven major objectives of the National IPR Policy are—

IPR Awareness,
Generation of IPRs,
Legal and Legislative Framework,
Administration and Management,
Commercialisation of IPRs,
Enforcement and Adjudication, and
Human Capital Development.