Interview with Andrew Davidson, UK Intellectual Property Office

Andrew Davidson, Head of Global Cooperation and Development with the UK Intellectual Property Office visited India from 01-05 June. He met with several stakeholders from the academia, government and industry. I caught up with him to discuss the visit. Read on!

What brings you to India?
I supported conferences organised by the European Patent Office in Kolkata and New Delhi. Also, in Chennai, I met with the Additional Chief Secretary of the Industries department to discuss follow up actions from the UK IPO funded report on mapping the intellectual property landscape of Tamil Nadu. There, I hope that we are able to work with the Tamil Nadu government to change tax rules which currently act as a distinctive for trade mark protected goods, and to support broader outreach and IP education work. In New Delhi, I met with Mr Rajiv Aggarwal, Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks to discuss collaboration opportunities with the UK, especially given the current momentum of the Make in India campaign. I also had a useful discussion on the ongoing challenges with collective licensing management with Ms Aparna Sharma, Registrar of Copyright Office.

Any thoughts on India’s draft intellectual property (IP) rights policy?
It’s encouraging to see the scale of ambition in the draft policy, particularly given its relevance to the Make in India campaign and the opportunities for innovators across various sectors of the Indian economy. We are keen to support the Indian office as they take forward this work: updating and strengthening the IP frameworks in India will bring benefits to Indian and UK companies alike.

Tell us about the UK IPO’s activities in India?
We’ve spent a lot of time over the last year, refining our support offer to UK business looking to start or increase their Indian export activity. Vijay Iyer is our IP attaché based in Mumbai and can be contacted for any IP – related business enquiries. We have also launched a range of new fact sheets, with professional legal input from a reputable Indian law firm. And lastly, we have a programme of upcoming outreach activities to lend our support to the IP education and awareness raising agenda.

Any upcoming events we should be aware of?
Two major events in September – Global Investors Meet in Chennai and UKIBC Convention in New Delhi. Neil Feinson, Director of International Policy with the UK Intellectual Property Office will be participating in both events.