Serzohe at 01:34, 6 March 2026

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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2016}}
'''Intellectual property in India''' refers to the patents, copyrights and other intangible assets in India.

India's colonial history has significantly influenced its intellectual property (IP) laws. During [[British Raj|British rule]], India adopted several legal frameworks based on British laws, including those related to intellectual property. The first copyright law in India, for example, was the Copyright Act of 1847, which was essentially an extension of the British [[Copyright Act 1842]].

After gaining [[Indian Independence Act 1947|independence in 1947]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=1947 Indian Independence Act |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/legislativescrutiny/parliament-and-empire/collections1/collections2/1947-indian-independence-act/ |access-date=18 February 2024 |archive-date=21 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221071113/https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/legislativescrutiny/parliament-and-empire/collections1/collections2/1947-indian-independence-act/ |url-status=live }}</ref> India began to develop its own legal systems and policies, but the foundation laid during the colonial period continued to shape its approach to intellectual property.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Saikia |first=Nandita |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3H1gDwAAQBAJ |title=Art and Indian Copyright Law: A Statutory Reading |date=2015-02-17 |publisher=. |pages=4 |language=en}}</ref> The Indian Patent Act of 1970 and the Copyright Act of 1957, for example, were influenced by earlier British laws but were modified to suit India's socio-economic needs and priorities.

India's colonial history also influenced its approach to IP in terms of balancing the rights of creators with the needs of the public. The emphasis on access to knowledge and affordable medicines, for example, can be traced back to the colonial experience of dealing with monopolies and restrictive practices.<ref>{{Cite journal |last='t Hoen |first=Ellen |date=2002-04-01 |title=TRIPS, Pharmaceutical Patents, and Access to Essential Medicines: A Long Way From Seattle to Doha |url=https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cjil/vol3/iss1/6 |journal=Chicago Journal of International Law |volume=3 |issue=1 |issn=1529-0816 |access-date=18 February 2024 |archive-date=18 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240218180800/https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cjil/vol3/iss1/6/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Government Policy==
Indian government approved its [[National Intellectual Property Rights Policy|first Intellectual Property Rights Policy]] in May 2016.<ref>{{citation |title=Cabinet approves Intellectual Property Rights policy |url=http://thehindu.com/news/national/cabinet-approves-national-intellectual-property-rights-policy/article8594387.ece |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=13 May 2016 |access-date=13 May 2016 |archive-date=13 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513095125/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/cabinet-approves-national-intellectual-property-rights-policy/article8594387.ece |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Laws==

===Copyrights===
{{Main|Copyright law of India}}

The "Copyright Act, 1957" (as amended by the Copyright Amendment Act 2012) governs the subject of copyright law in [[India]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Copyright Office |url=https://copyright.gov.in/ |access-date=18 February 2024 |archive-date=13 June 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060613112652/http://www.copyright.gov.in/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The history of copyright law in India can be traced back to its colonial era under the [[British Empire]].<ref>Arul George Scaria, Piracy in the Indian Film Industry: Copyright and Cultural Consonance (Cambridge University Press 2014) 47-53</ref> The Copyright Act, 1957 was the first post-independence copyright legislation in India and the law has been amended six times since 1957.<ref>Jatindra Kumar Das, Law of Copyright (PHI Learning Private Ltd. 2015) 88</ref> The most recent amendment was in the year 2012, through the Copyright (Amendment) Act 2012.<ref>http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/details.jsp?id=13230 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070922/http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/details.jsp?id=13230 |date=4 March 2016 }} ([[WIPO Lex]])</ref>

===Trademarks===
{{Main|Indian trademark law}}

"Indian trademark law" statutorily protects [[trademarks]] as per the Trademark Act, 1999 and also under the [[common law]] remedy of [[passing off]].<ref name=narayanan>{{cite book|last=Narayanan|first=P.|title=Law of Trade Marks and Passing off|year=2004|publisher=Eastern Law House|location=Kolkata|isbn=9788171772322|edition=6th|page=3}}</ref> Statutory protection of trademark is administered by the [[Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks]], a government agency which reports to the [[Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (India)|Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion]] (DIPP), under the [[Ministry of Commerce and Industry (India)|Ministry of Commerce and Industry]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dipp.gov.in/|title=DIPP under Ministry of Commerce and Industry|access-date=23 February 2019|archive-date=30 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730092936/https://dipp.gov.in/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Patents ===
{{Main|Indian Patent Office}}
The Patents Act, 1970<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ipindia.gov.in/history-of-indian-patent-system.htm|title=History of Indian Patent System | About Us | Intellectual Property India | Government of India|website=www.ipindia.gov.in|access-date=18 February 2024|archive-date=29 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929144600/https://ipindia.gov.in/history-of-indian-patent-system.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> was brought into force on 20 April 1972, and further amendments were carried in 1999, 2002 and 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pharmatutor.org/articles/ammendments-patent-act-1999-2002-2005-overview-comparison|title=AMMENDMENTS IN PATENT ACT- 1999, 2002 AND 2005- OVERVIEW AND COMPARISON|website=PharmaTutor|access-date=17 March 2019|archive-date=26 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226122050/http://www.pharmatutor.org/articles/ammendments-patent-act-1999-2002-2005-overview-comparison|url-status=live}}</ref> The Patent Rules, 2003 was introduced along with the Patent Act (amendment), 2002 on 20 May 2003,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wipolex.wipo.int/en/legislation/details/7620|title=WIPOLex|website=wipolex.wipo.int|access-date=2019-03-17|archive-date=2 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202122709/https://wipolex.wipo.int/en/legislation/details/7620|url-status=live}}</ref> and recent amendments were carried in 2016, and 2017. The Patents (Amendment) Rules 2016 mainly focused on expediting the grant process, benefits to startup, and increase in official fees.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ipindia.nic.in/writereaddata/Portal/IPORule/1_42_1_Patent__Amendment_Rules_2016_16May2016.pdf|title=The Patents (Amendment) Rules 2016|access-date=17 March 2019|archive-date=23 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223074321/http://www.ipindia.nic.in/writereaddata/Portal/IPORule/1_42_1_Patent__Amendment_Rules_2016_16May2016.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
Patent filing has increased drastically, with over 138,000 patents filed between 2015–21, with over 85,000 filed in emerging technologies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Economic Survey 2022-23 |url=https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/economicsurvey/doc/echapter.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311124449/https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/economicsurvey/doc/echapter.pdf |archive-date=11 March 2023}}</ref>
There is a growing space of research literature about the Indian Patent regime, for example, in the context of how the working of pharmaceutical patents remains low in India, and how the Form 27 amendment does not sync with the reality of how it brings quality to Indian patents.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.elgaronline.com/view/journals/qmjip/14/4/article-p374.xml |title=Tania Sebastian and Nancy Sebastian, Local Working of Pharmaceutical patents in India: an empirical exploration into its determinants, 14 (4), Queen Mary Journal of IP, 2024 |access-date=18 December 2024}}</ref>

==Authority==

The Intellectual Property India is administered by the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks (CGPDTM). This is a subordinate office of the [[Government of India]] and administers the Indian law of Patents, Designs, Trade Marks and Geographical Indications.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ipindia.nic.in/about-us.htm|title=About Us {{!}} Intellectual Property India|website=www.ipindia.nic.in|access-date=2019-02-23|archive-date=24 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190224062430/http://www.ipindia.nic.in/about-us.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Economic Effects of Intellectual Property Reform==

The economic effects of intellectual property reform in India is a complex subject area, and would require a separate detailed article. A beginning may be made by referring to Sunil Kanwar and Stefan Sperlich (2020),<ref>Kanwar, Sunil & Stefan Sperlich, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00181-019-01707-3</ref> who study the effect of intellectual property reform on technological advancement and productivity increases in manufacturing industry in the emerging market context of India.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Indian intellectual property law]]

{{India-law-stub}}

Intellectual property in India - Revision history

Serzohe at 01:34, 6 March 2026