An Adobe India SVP writes in The Financial Express about the influx of MNCs into India, and how thats brought more innovation and respect for IPRs to the country.

Excerpts:

...Today, one can see a paradigm shift in the attitude towards protecting IP. Engineering talent in India has realised the importance of innovation, and of filing patents and protecting their innovation. One would wonder how did this consciousness come about in country where IP laws are frail and where respect for innovation is almost absent? We certainly have the globalisation and IT boom in the country to thank…

The arrival of MNCs has helped in two major transformations—it has injected a spirit of innovation in the R&D environment, and it has propelled the culture of patent filing in India.

A large number of MNCs have set up full-fledged R&D centres . ..these research centres have become an important and critical part of the innovation they showcase globally. ..our engineering talent has ... a chance to represent their own fresh ideas, which have been promoted by their employers, through the proactive patent filing process, and eventually developed into products that are used around the world...

IPR protection or innovation was not a priority for Indian companies till recently…. This led to a culture where innovation was neither recognised nor rewarded. There was no incentive for companies to innovate or hire people who could innovate. The result was the migration of our best and the brightest to western countries where they could demonstrate their talent and creative skills...

The MNCs brought about greater awareness of IPR and that forced the country and government in particular to start recognising IPR ... This led to India becoming a signatory to international treaties like the agreement on TRIPS of the WTO.

posted by Noel Le @ 1:57 PM | International, Patents

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