India's IPR regime fully TRIPS compliant: Sharma

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SME Times News Bureau | 03 May, 2014
Commerce and Industry Minister, Anand Sharma has quoted that India's intellectual property rights (IPR) regime is fully Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) compliant to WTO laws, reports media.

"India is fully TRIPS compliant and India is not going to accept any investigations or anything which is TRIPS plus," Sharma told reporters in New Delhi Friday.

"So we are very clear as to what we have to do. We would take any measure as required to protect our producers, our farmers and that is what we have communication with all firmness," he added.

The US Trade Representative (USTR) in its Special 301 report has kept India out of the Priority Foreign Country list, a worst classification, and has said that it would hold discussions with the next government in New Delhi on enforcement and protection of IPRs.

However, the US has said that they would do a 'out-of-cycle' review of India's IPR regime.

"We are very firm and consistent on (Special) 301 issue and finally the US saw sense when it comes to Indian IPR regime," the minister said.

The Obama administration had been strongly critical of India's investment climate and IPR laws, especially in the pharmaceutical and solar sectors.

The US industry had raised the matter of India's rejection of patents for Bristol-Myers Squibb's Sprycel and Novartis AG's Glivec.

Swiss pharma major Novartis lost the legal battle to get its blood cancer drug Glivec patented in India and restrain domestic companies from manufacturing generic versions.

India has always maintained that its IPR regime is fully compliant with WTO norms and it would drag the US to the global trade body if any adverse unilateral step is taken against the country in IPR-related matters.

Replying a question about FDI in multi-brand retail trading issue, Sharma said that the policy was announced after wider consultations with all the stakeholders.

He said that the 12 states who had agreed to implement the policy do not have the option to go back from their earlier stand.

"Giving an option does not mean a revolving door. FDI policy have to have a predictability and stability," he said.

Rajasthan and Delhi withdrew approval for FDI in multi-brand retail following a change of government after the assembly elections held in November-December last year. The Congress lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party in Rajasthan and to the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi.