International Intellectual Property Index 2021

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India ranked 40 among 53 global economies on the latest annual edition of the International Intellectual Property (IP) Index.

About International Intellectual Property Index

It was released annually by the US Chamber of Commerce Global Innovation Policy Centre (GIPC).
The index was started in 2012 and the first edition compared IP environments in 11 economies.
The Intellectual Property (IP) Index evaluates each economy’s ecosystem based on 50 unique indicators which the industry believes represent economies with the most effective IP systems.
Parameters: It ranks countries based on 50 unique indicators. These indicators are divided across nine categories of protection: 1) Patents 2) copyrights 3) trademarks 4) design rights 5) trade secrets 6) commercialization of IP assets 7) enforcement 8) systemic efficiency and 9) membership and ratification of international treaties.
Significance: The IP Index serves as a roadmap for policymakers who look to support creativity, innovation and economic growth through more robust IP policy.

Major Highlights

Global

The United States, Japan and Europe remained at the top of the global intellectual property rankings 2021.
The 2021 Index illustrates that economies with the most effective IP frameworks are more likely to achieve the socio-economic benefits needed to combat COVID-19, including greater access to venture capital, increased private sector investment in research and development, and over 10 times more clinical trial activity.
In the 2021 report, 32 of the 53 economies benchmarked had positive improvements in their scores.

Indian Perspective

India has shown real improvement over the past few years adding that it has made a string of positive efforts which resulted in a score increase
It was due to stronger enforcement efforts and precedent-setting court cases involving copyright and trademark infringement.
- Among BRICS nations, India registered the second-highest growth over nine editions of the US Chamber Index hit years with an overall improvement of over 13 per cent.
- Challenges: Property rights-holders in India continue to face substantive challenges, particularly regarding the patenting environment, in which India’s policy framework continues to deny patent eligibility to a broad range of innovations.
- Suggestions made: The ecosystem for innovators and creators could be further strengthened through reforms to clarify trade secrets protection, the removal of bureaucratic barriers, and the passage of clean Cinematographic Law amendments to protect Indian creative content.
  - It is time to build greater international consensus and capacity on IP, to enable all countries and the next generation to build a sustained economic recovery through ingenuity.

What is Intellectual Property Right?

It refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, and symbols, names and images used in commerce.
IP is protected by law, for example, patents, copyright and trademarks, which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from their inventions or creations.
The IP system aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish.
Innovation and creative endeavours are indispensable elements that drive economic growth and sustain the competitive edge of the economy of any country.

India’s initiative in safeguarding IPR

The Government has taken several steps that have led to an improvement in patent filing, as also for safeguarding Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). Some of these steps are:

National IPR Policy for India: It was adopted by the Government of India on 12th May 2016, as a vision document that lays the future roadmap of IPRs in India.

Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM): It has been set up to coordinate the implementation of the National IPR Policy.

IP awareness programmes: They have been undertaken in academic institutions, at both school and college level, as also for industry.

Simplification of Procedure: To streamline the processing of IP applications, IP procedures have been simplified and made user friendly by amendment to the Patents Rules in 2016 and Trademarks Rules in 2017.

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

It is the global forum for intellectual property (IP) services, policy, information and cooperation.
It is a self-funding agency of the United Nations, with 193 member states.
Its mission is to lead the development of a balanced and effective international IP system that enables innovation and creativity for the benefit of all.
Its mandate, governing bodies and procedures are set out in the WIPO Convention, which established WIPO in 1967.

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