T H E H I N D U Online edition of India's National Newspaper Thursday, Sep 14, 2006 ePaper

`India's Patents Act must extend to software'

Special Correspondent

To become ICT superpower, India will have to recognise patenting

NEW DELHI: Craig Mundie, Chief Research and Strategy Officer, Microsoft Corporation, on Wednesday voiced concern over the fact that India's Patents Act still did not extend to intellectual property (IP) protection of software and underlined the need for addressing this issue urgently.

(India protects software only under its copyright law).

Addressing an interactive meeting on the `Role of IPR in the Knowledge Economy' organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Mr. Mundie pointed out that although India had made a lot of progress in enforcing IPR, it had still to bear in mind that for becoming an ICT (information and communication technology) superpower it would have to recognise patenting as a standalone enterprise.

This was a key component for moving India forward from a manufacturing-services-led economy to an innovation-led economy, he said.

"No field of scientific and engineering endeavour can progress without the advancement of IT where software is the centrepiece,'' Mr. Mundie said, and added that in the U.S., 30-40 per cent gains in productivity in the Eighties were attributable to innovations.

ICT, he said, was at the heart of productivity increases in labour and capital, lowering of transaction cost, innovation and further growth in ICT to fuel economic growth.

R. A. Mashelkar, Director General, of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), while giving a snapshot of the current state of play in the IP sphere, noted that while some of the advanced countries had benefited from strong IP laws, in a country like India which had to look at the concerns of both top end and the bottom end of the population, the issue of balance in the IP regime became important.

Piracy in India, Dr. Mashelkar said, was a serious issue and it was here that penalties had to be swift, sure and severe. A high-level committee had made recommendations in this regard and the issue is at an advanced stage of consideration of the government.

PTI reports:

Pre-paid computer cards

Microsoft on Wednesday said it would introduce pre-paid cards in India that would enable customers to access the company's genuine software without paying any fee upfront, a move apparently aimed at curbing piracy of its software.