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Aurangabad event completes first phase of IPR Awareness Programme
More than 65 entrepreneurs from industrial units in and around Aurangabad, Maharashtra participated in an awareness programme on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) organised by the Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME), the voice of Indian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), in association with the Maharashtra Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (MCED), Aurangabad on March 10, 2012.
This was the last such programme in the first phase of the IPR component of the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Programme (NMCP) of the Ministry of MSME under which FISME was enlisted as the Ministry’s vehicle of choice for reaching out to Indian MSMEs.
The programme was organised with the support of the Development Commissioner, Ministry of MSMEs and was aimed at making MSMEs become aware of the importance of getting legal protection for their Intellectual Property Rights and how such protection was crucial for their business success.
During the course of the programme expert panellists identified and analysed current approaches of SMEs towards their Intellectual Property (IP), the hurdles that they face; and the accessible & feasible solutions available to them. They were told that FISME has already launched IPR Facilitation Centres operating out of 3 Indian cities – New Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
The participants were also informed that FISME and MCED had agreed to open an IPR Facilitation window in Aurangabad to help entrepreneurs and industries in the region file IPR applications in a convenient, fast and cost-effective way.
In his inaugural speech, the chief guest at the programme Mr Kiran Kulkarni, Executive Director, Maharashtra Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (MCED), remarked on the importance of protecting Intellectual property by the MSMEs as it sometimes is more valuable than physical property or assets because the risk of it getting copied or stolen is higher. Other dignitaries present during the day were S.G Rajput, (GM) Directorate of Industries, GOI., Mukund A Kulkarni, President, Chamber of Marathwada Industries and Agriculture (CMIA), and D.M Shinde, Chairman, Tiny industries Co-Op. Industrial Estate Ltd. FISME was represented by Shri Karamjeet Singh Saluja, Deputy Director-IPR and Mr Pankaj, legal officer-IPR from its IP Facilitation Centre, Delhi.
The IP experts for the programme also included Mr Yashodeep Deshmukh, Regd. Patent & TM Attorney, and Counsel Bombay H.C. (O.S.) who gave a detailed insight on IP for the benefit of the MSMEs, specifically, on the process of identification, filing and prosecution of Patents in India.
The programme was very interactive and participants poured in with their doubts and constraints pertaining to IPR which were precisely clarified by the IPR Experts/Consultants. The role of FISME’s Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre (IPFC) for MSMEs and services provided by it were explained to the participants by Karamjeet Singh Saluja, Deputy Director-IPR. The technical session contained presentations on various components of the IPR Scheme and also about the significance of various IP tools such as Patents, Trademarks, Industrial designs etc. for the benefit of the industry of Aurangabad.
The programme ended with a vote of thanks from MCED. The programme was a huge success and very well received by the participants and other stakeholders who felt that FISME should organise more such programmes in the near future.
