Context:
India has recently signed the Final Act of the Riyadh Design Law Treaty.
Design Law Treaty (DLT):
- An international agreement adopted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to harmonize and simplify the procedural frameworks for industrial design protection across multiple jurisdictions.
- All 193 contracting parties of the WIPO have enforced the treaty.
- Objective – To streamline the design registration process globally, making it more efficient and accessible for designers and businesses.
- Key Features –
- Grace Period: Provides a 12-month grace period following the first disclosure of a design, during which the disclosure will not affect its validity for registration.
- Relief Measures: Offers flexibility to applicants to prevent them from losing their rights if they miss a deadline.
- Simplified Renewal Process: Simplifies the procedure for requesting the renewal of a design registration.
- E-filing Systems: Promotes the introduction of electronic filing systems for designs and the electronic exchange of priority documents.
- Technical Assistance: Ensures the availability of technical assistance to developing and least developed countries for the implementation of the treaty
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO):
- Genesis – Specialized agency of the United Nations, established in 1967.
- Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
- Objective – Dedicated to developing a balanced and accessible international Intellectual Property (IP) system which rewards creativity, stimulates innovation and contributes to economic development.
- Membership – 193 member states (India is a member since 1975)
- Major Treaties –
- Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (1998)
- Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (1928)
- Patent Cooperation Treaty (1998)
- India is a member of all the three treaties.
- Publishes Global Innovation Index (GII)
Read more about TRIPS Agreement
Source: PIB
Previous Year Question
With reference to the ‘National Intellectual Property Rights Policy’, consider the following statements:
1. It reiterates India’s commitment to the Doha Development Agenda and the TRIPS Agreement.
2. Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion is the nodal agency for regulating intellectual property rights in India.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2017 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c)