Roundtable on Copyright Enforcement Tool Kit, New Delhi

29/04/2014 | New Delhi

Delhi Police Commissioner Mr. B S Bassi launched the Copyright Enforcement Tool Kit at FICCI’s ‘Roundtable on Copyright Enforcement Tool Kit’ on April 29, 2014. Addressing the round table, Mr. Bassi emphasized that copyrights are extremely important and must be respected and protected as they encourage innovation and creation. He assured the industry that the police department will protect the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) of the citizens, and in case of any violation it will investigate the occurrence professionally. He also urged that in the quest for protection of IPR the industry should not prevent dissemination of knowledge which is of society’s good. Mr. Anil Rajput, Senior Vice President-Corporate Affairs, ITC, Chair, FICCI CASCADE Committee and Co-chair, FICCI IP Committee, said that the Tool Kit devised by FICCI is a compilation to assist in understanding the concept of counterfeiting and piracy by giving different modes in which it takes place and the threat it could pose on innovation,national security and competition. The Kit also gives an outline of the regulatory framework for combating counterfeit and piracy in India. He added the document will serve as a ready reckoner to the enforcement officials, which contains all the relevant provisions of law, methodologies to detect counterfeit products and a checklist for the police officials while enforcing copyright with relevant statistics and data. The Kit was developed keeping in view the upsurge of technological developments which has made the protection of intellectual property an imperative issue to foster innovation and economic growth. The police department being the primary law enforcement agency administers the government’s economic, trade and tariff policies, handles international traffic of imports and exports and aids to minimize demerit goods from augmenting in the markets. With low barriers to market entry and infiltration, the police plays a significant role in ensuring and enforcing the protection of copyrights. Hence the need to devise a ready refrencer to assist and apprise the enforcement authorities of the various laws and tools enshrined therein to enforce Copyright Law is imperative. Copyright enforcement is of utmost importance for sustainable growth of the economy, said Mr. Hemant Singh, Managing Partner, INTTL ADVOCARE. Police is the primary law enforcement agency in India. Hence for protecting IPR, the Tool Kit is a step towards assisting the Police, serving as a ready reference for them.