IPR & Common man

There are several special laws covered under the umbrella of Intellectual property laws. These laws are trademarks, copy rights, patents, design, geographical indications of goods, protection of plant varieties and farmers’ rights, biological diversity and semiconductor integrated circuits layout-design.

In India Intellectual property laws are at a cradle stage as if an infant makes an attempt to peep from its cradle though many attempts are being made to weigh the IPR and to emphasis the real essence of these laws from every corner of the world. In India, is a common man affected by the laws related to Intellectual property ? if the answer is yes, how is so ? A peasant may be aware of his rights of property i.e. land, but a penman or an industrialist may not be aware of his rights of intellectual property in our country. This is the present scenario as far the laws related to intellectual property and common man is concerned.

IP laws protect the rights of an individual and an interest of public at large. Awareness of IPR plays a dominant role to protect the rights of an individual and an interest of public at large so that the gap between IPR and common man may be bridged. A person who spends almost his entire life for any invention which may be helpful to the society at large and when the time to get the fruits of his endeavor comes, somebody else enjoys the fruits of it, that cannot be tolerable but in many cases that person who has invested his entire time of life for invention may not be aware of it. This is even more pathetic that somebody is imitating the original and the author or the creator or inventor or proprietor of that original goods or invention may not be the aware of it.

The laws related to IPR are boons not only for the inventor or creator or proprietor of goods but also for mankind as the laws of IPR are back bone for industrial growth of the country which is directly or indirectly affected to the common man of this country.  IPR can be a mile stone for the industrial and technological progress, economic growth and socio-economic situation of any country if it can be spread and reached to the common man in its real sense. The fragrance of the laws of IP becomes eternal when a common man makes himself aware of it as every common man has some specialty to do something new and original which is required to be protected in the interest of mankind at large.  Awareness of IP laws and avoidance of imitation of any original thing among common people can be the latest version and vision for protecting their own rights. As this is an era of science and technology, it is the higher time to say “NO” to the duplication, imitation, copy of the original and genuine products so that there would be a society where everybody is aware of their IPR and such society can be called “utopian society.”

The question is how such utopian society for IPR can be made in cosmopolitan country like us. The Government, lawyers, judiciary corporate personalities and law teachers and students can make the utopian society by spreading knowledge of Intellectual property laws among the people by arranging IP awareness camp at ground level. Arranging camps for IP knowledge among people and police become helping hand to develop a good society.  Socio-legal situation of the society is grown up by such type of IP camp. If a person is aware of his IP rights, he can make the other person aware and gradually such type of progress can be a part of development of country which may not be seen directly but it is there. The statutes of IP are not limited to industry only as it is false impression that IP litigation is luxurious litigation for IP practitioners. The laws of IP are meant for people and such laws can be proved revolutionary laws when a common man of this country becomes aware of his IPR as IPR becomes the pivotal part of life knowingly or unknowingly. No one can escape from IPR as IPR starts from morning tooth brush or paste and ends at evening dinner.

A common man is using an android phone now a day which is the matter of taking pride for the country like India but when he comes more aware about not using piracy soft ware, those days would be the days of IPR and there would be a window of IPR to be open and it would be a genuine moral as well as economic progress of a common man.  

Chirag Bhatt

Advocate

Gujarat