It is our pleasure to announce that the Law Firm Perry4Law will once again celebrate World Intellectual Property Day (WIPD) this year. We wish to celebrate the WIPD-07 in a “different and holistic manner”. Thus, we have decided to celebrate “WIPO WEEK” every year starting from 20th April. The concluding day of the week would be 26th April each year that is the World IP Day. This celebration and Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) Awareness Drive would be supported by IPR HELPDESK, ICT HELPDESK, ICT HELPDESK AND WTO and INTERNATIONAL TRADE SEGMENT of Perry4Law. These “unique initiatives” of Perry4Law are coordinating International and National IPRs efforts and expertise on the one hand and managing IP Development Issues related to the Development Agenda on the other. A Special Initiative against Counterfeiting and Piracy has been undertaken keeping in mind the challenges of Electronic Era and Digital Millennium.

Some of the objectives[1] of WIPO WEEK, World IP Day-07 and these initiatives are:

(1) To spread public awareness regarding Intellectual Property Rights in India (IPRs in India) and World wide,

(2) To educate people associated with IPRs like Copyright holders, Trade Marks owners, Patents holders, etc on the one hand and various NGOs, Public Sectors, Discussion Groups, etc on the other. Wherever possible, assistance to the Courts, Tribunal, Forums, etc will also be provided,

(3) To coordinate and arrange workshops, seminars and other interactive programs so that public awareness can increase,

(4) To bridge the gap, if any, existing between Indian IPRs knowledge and IPRs scenario existing at the World level,

(5) To put India on the World’s map as the leading IPRs providing nation,

(6) To reconcile the standards set by WIPO and WTO with India socio-economic conditions so that a balance can be maintained,

(7) To suggest “suggestions and recommendations” to the Hon’ble Government of India for amendments, modification, omissions, etc of various laws regarding IPRS in India, keeping in mind the International Standards and obligations,

(8) To extend the “economic and other benefits” of IPRs to the deserving people who have created them but who cannot claim them either due to ignorance or some other reason,

(9) To generate, evaluate and utilise the talent existing at the “grassroots level” and to motivate people to contribute more in the IPRs direction,

(10) To help and assist other NGOs and persons involved in this cause for the benefit of people at large, etc.

The “programme” or “agenda” for the WIPO Week would be as follow:

(a) 20th April-07: Discussion on Traditional IPRs.

(b) 21st April-07: Discussion on Counterfeiting and Piracy in India and Worldwide.

(c) 22nd April-07: Enforcement of IPRs with a special reference to the Digital Era and Digital Millennium Requirements.

(d) 23rd April-07: Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) with a special reference to WIPO Domain Name Dispute Resolution Mechanism and the menace of “Cybersquatting”.

(e) 24th April-07: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and their role and participation in the innovation, development and enforcement of IPRs.

(f) 25th April-07: IPRs in Large Corporations and MNCs, Sensitisation and Awareness among Managers, Executives, CEOs, etc of these Companies regarding IPRs, etc.

(g) 26th April-07: Summary and Celebration of WIPD-07.

The mode of “Public Awareness and Public Sensitisation” would be as follow:

(a) Daily Reporting: We would provide a “Daily Reporting” of all our “Discussions” of the respective Days, and

(b) WIPO WEEK Reporting: We would also provide a “Summary” of all our discussions in the form of “WIPO Week Reporting” on 26th April, 2007, and

(c) Question and Answers: Question and Answers Session for One Week from 26th would remain open through our e-mail addresses. Interested member of Public can avail this facility and occasion to remove their doubts. Kindly avoid “Commercial and Professional Queries” as these initiatives are meant for “Lay Persons” and “General Members of the Public”.

© Praveen Dalal. All rights reserved with the author.
* Arbitrator, Consultant and Advocate, Supreme Court of India.
Managing Partner-Perry4Law (First Techno-Legal and ICT Firm, New Delhi, India)
LL.M. Ph.D –Cyber Forensics (Pursuing).
Contact at: perry4law@yahoo.com, pd37@rediffmail.com

[1] We are working on a scale larger in operation and wider in application.