J&K youth can be torchbearers of India's growth story in coming years: MoS (See 'Corp Brief') India Skills National Competition 2025-26 concludes in Greater Noida (See 'Corp Brief') MoFPI holds Parliamentary Consultative Committee and NIFTEM Council Meetings in Shillong (See 'Corp Brief') Minister to inaugurate 2-day Interactive forum to mark World Homoeopathy Day 2026 (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - Controller of Patent would decide whether differences, viewed in knowledge of alleged invention, constitute steps which would have been obvious to ordinary person skilled in art and rule out hindsight approach: HC (See 'Legal Desk') MoS asks private sector to accelerate its participation in R&D activities (See 'Corp Brief') 'Sahkar se Samriddhi' Vision guides National Review Conference in Varanasi (See 'Corp Brief') Department of Higher Education organises interactive session on Indian Knowledge Systems (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - Generic disclosure does not, by itself, defeat novelty of specific disclosure; Prior art that teaches away from claimed invention cannot serve as foundation for anticipation: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana completes 11 Years of empowering Small and Micro Entrepreneurs (See 'Corp Brief') International Conference on Spacecraft Mission Operations being held in Bengaluru (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - Prior user of trademark has superior rights over subsequent user who holds registration for same or similar mark: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Sirsa to review status of saline water Aquaculture cluster notified under PMMSY (See 'Corp Brief') TRAI releases paper on Satellite Communication Network Authorisation (See 'Corp Brief') Union Minister of Power to embark on 4-Day Visit to Bhutan (See 'Corp Brief') Benami Act - If no loan was repaid in actual, and just funds have been rotated among same group of parties, thereby establishing benami transaction, provisional attachment is justified: SAFEMA (See 'Legal Desk') CCI nod for acquisition of shares by Coastal Cedar Investments in Fleur Hotels (See 'Corp Brief') CCI approves acquisition of equity of KNR SPVs by Indus Infra Trust (See 'Corp Brief') CCI approves acquisition by Citrus Investment LLC of shares in Hitachi Construction Machinery (See 'Corp Brief') CCI okays acquisition of equity shares of Aditya Birla Housing Finance Ltd. by Indriya Ltd. (See 'Corp Brief') Company Law - Sourcing pre-condition deposit unlawfully from corporate funds in direct violation of Sec 185, or executing settlement agreements without effectuating actual refunds or delivering legally valid & habitable possession, is illegal: SC (See 'Legal Desk') CCI approves acquisition of equity in Nabha Power by Torrent Power Ltd. (See 'Corp Brief') Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam attains First Criticality (See 'Corp Brief') Policy for Transit Oriented Development for providing affordable housing in Delhi (See 'Corp Brief') PMLA - Initiating proceedings under PMLA for continuing possession or use of proceeds of crime acquired prior to enactment of PMLA does not violate Article 20(1) of Constitution: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Ministry of Mines notifies Amendment in Rules for Faster Operationalisation of Mines (See 'Corp Brief') Govt to curb Distress Sale in APT Crops; Value Addition to boost Farmers' Income (See 'Corp Brief') Navi Mumbai turning Textile Waste into Opportunity for People (See 'Corp Brief') TRAI releases Paper on 'Formulation of Regulatory Framework for ALTD Services (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - Minor alteration to well-established trademark, such as changing single letter, does not render new mark dissimilar, especially when it remains phonetically and visually close to original: HC (See 'Legal Desk') GeM achieves Rs 18.4 Lakh Crore GMV, Emerges as Key Digital Public Procurement Platform (See 'Corp Brief') Benami Act - Burden of proof of benami transaction rests strictly upon person asserting it, and reliance solely on uncorroborated statements of third parties recorded in unrelated Income Tax proceedings, is insufficient: SAFEMA (See 'Legal Desk') Union Minister to inaugurate NCVET Capacity Building (See 'Corp Brief') FEMA - Continuing adjudication u/s 16 of FEMA despite competent authority's refusal to confirm seizure u/s 37A of FEMA, is contrary to law: SC (See 'Legal Desk') Minister calls for stronger research-industry linkages to scale food innovation sector (See 'Corp Brief') A&C Act - Doctrine of 'transnational issue estoppel' applies to enforcement proceedings u/s 48 of Arbitration Act, barring enforcement court from undertaking merits-based review: SC (See 'Legal Desk') MoS backs scaling up indigenous Insulin production amid global supply concerns (See 'Corp Brief') A&C - Mere existence of document, despite it containing arbitration clause, would not qualify as arbitration agreement, unless it is signed by parties seeking to invoke clause as also party against whom enforcement is sought: HC (See 'Legal Desk') New Sainik School reflects Centre's Vision for Nation-Building through Education (See 'Corp Brief') A&C - Agreement to sell being unregistered and unstamped as per Registration Act, Transfer of Property Act, and Indian Stamps Act, cannot be enforced: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Supreme Court Clears Path For Single Insolvency Proceedings Against Linked Group Companies (See CORP EINSICHT)

WTO Members witness trial launch of e-TRIPS gateway

Published: Jun 13, 2019

By TIOLCORPLAWS News Service

GENEVA, JUNE 13, 2019: THE WTO members recently saw the trial launch of the e-TRIPS gateway, the online information portal that allows members to search and extract the full range of TRIPS information managed by the WTO Secretariat, at the meeting of the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on June 6. Under newly-elected chair Ambassador Lundeg Purevsuren of Mongolia, members also discussed IP policies on branding, creative industries and public-private partnerships under the theme of IP and innovation.

The WTO Secretariat provided an update on the e-TRIPS project, which aims to streamline and bring up to date the information services the Secretariat provides to WTO members. It comprises two separate but integrated online tools – first, the e-TRIPS Submission System, a means for submitting TRIPS notification and review material; and second, the e-TRIPS gateway, which provides a wide range of opportunities for delegates to access and make use of TRIPS information.

Regarding the e-TRIPS Submission System, launched after the previous meeting of the TRIPS Council on February 13, the Secretariat said it is now ready to be used in the three WTO official languages: English, French and Spanish. To date, over 35 members have requested login credentials and the Secretariat will continue assisting delegates in Geneva and capital-based officials in its practical use.

Concerning the e-TRIPS gateway, the Secretariat informed the Council that a beta version of the gateway will be released in the coming weeks for testing by delegations. Upon completion, the e-TRIPS gateway will be integrated into the WTO website and open to the public. The new portal will make it a lot easier for delegates (and eventually for the public) to quickly research, retrieve and analyze TRIPS-related data. A demonstration of the e-TRIPS gateway highlighted its key features.

The Secretariat acknowledged the helpful feedback and collaboration of many delegates who over an extended development process have helped to shape and refine the different elements of the e-TRIPS project.

IP and innovation

WTO members continued discussions on the role intellectual property (IP) plays as a driver for more inclusive innovation. They specifically reflected on IP and innovation in the context of branding and creative industries, taking into account various forms of public-private partnerships in IP promotion. Part of the series of TRIPS Council discussions on IP and innovation launched in 2012, this theme was put on the agenda at the request of Australia, Canada, Chile, the European Union, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Chinese Taipei and the United States.

Proponents noted the importance of exploring the role of creative industries and branding in a context where it is widely recognized that 'innovation' is not limited to 'inventions'. Rather, as defined by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), it encompasses "the implementation of a new or significantly improved product (good or service), or process, a new marketing method, or a new organizational method in business practices, workplace organization, or external relations".

Acknowledging that developing economies' participation in trade in creative goods has increased, and that 68 per cent of the world population is projected to live in urban areas by 2050, proponents said that a resilient innovation policy should include specific regional and rural branding and promotion strategies to respond to changing economic and geographic contexts.

Examples were provided on how the public sector can support the private sector through branding and promotion strategies at national and regional level, on the role intellectual property rights (IPRs) should play in the context of local innovation and public-private collaboration, as well as on the experience of creating innovative business models utilizing local IPRs.

Several members highlighted that creative industries, including the performing and literary arts, and the design, media and entertainment industries, play an important role in contributing economic value and in enriching culture. However, since many artists and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are not familiar with their IPRs and how to use them to grow their businesses, this is where the public sector can support them in protecting and using IP, as well as through promotion strategies and IP management, proponents added.

Recognizing that IPRs provide an incentive to innovation, some members emphasized that they are only effective in certain contexts and stressed the need to strike an appropriate balance between providing incentives for innovation and ensuring that resulting advantages contribute to the societal benefit in an equitable manner.

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