Shillong: The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), in collaboration with the Office of the Development Commissioner MSME, Ministry of MSME, Government of India successfully concluded the two-day National Level Intellectual Property (IP) Yatra Programme that was held on November 27 and 28 at The Shillong Club, Police Bazar, in Meghalaya.
The event brought together MSMEs, startups, academicians and other stakeholders to deepen awareness and capacity-building on intellectual property rights (IPRs).
The session commenced with the inaugural address by Prof. Indrajit Dube, Vice Chancellor, National Law University, Meghalaya shared insights on the fundamentals of IP, tech transfer for business strategy and importance of different aspects of IP for business growth. He mentioned that Intellectual property (IP) policy is of the colonial time and needs change to promote native innovation. He also mentioned that NER is the powerhouse of IP in the country as it has lots of traditional knowledge, medicinal and wellness knowledge as should be protected to ensure its continuity and transmission to future generations.
Dr. Bendangienla Aier, Manager at the IIM Shillong Foundation for Incubation & Enterprises, urged entrepreneurs to translate ideas into innovation through effective IP protection. She underlined the significance of Geographical Indication (GI) tags in safeguarding tribal heritage and traditional knowledge, noting the growing risk of their erosion due to rapid urbanization. She also shared IIM Shillong’s ongoing initiatives to support regional entrepreneurs and incubators.
Welcoming delegates, Mr A. Tovi Chophi, Chair, North East Region, PHDCCI and Director and Founder, All In One welcomed the dignitaries and participants and highlighted that as India moves towards innovation led and knowledge driven economy, IP is essential tool to protect the economy, promote entrepreneurship and provide competitiveness of MSMEs and startups. He noted the strong potential for GI registrations in the Northeast, especially for its diverse agricultural products, and called for wider grassroots awareness to empower rural artisans and local stakeholders.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Jatinder Singh, Deputy Secretary General of PHDCCI, emphasized the importance of industry-academia collaboration in driving research commercialization and nurturing skilled talent. He apprised the participants about PHDCCI being a 120 year old Chamber of Commerce with Pan India presence working for the industries at the grassroots level and addressing almost all the sectors of the economy. He further urged the participants to come forward to PHDCCI Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre and get their IPR related queries addressed.
The inaugural session was followed by technical discussions on IPR enforcement, patent opposition procedures in India, and patent prosecution and infringement. Expert speakers included Mr. Vasant Chandra, Head–Operations, and Dr. Pinki Chakraborty, Patent Associate, both from United & United.
An IP Helpdesk Camp was organized, where specialists addressed individual queries from MSMEs and startups. The workshop additionally showcased readily available technology products by CSIR to promote technology transfer and support business growth within the industry.