“Intellectual property is diverse and intriguing”

WHAT ARE THE GROWING DEMANDS TO STUDY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPR)? WE THROW LIGHT ON HOW TO PURSUE IT AS A SPECIALISATION.

My interest in law began when I was pursuing political science from Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University. Law and politics are interrelated and it was then that I became intrigued by the subject and wanted to take it up as a career. I developed a keen interest in Intellectual Property Right, specially trademarks while studying law and therefore chose it as my specialisation. IPR is extremely fascinating as it is a result of human creativity and is constantly evolving.

IPR is very intriguing and to know its full potential and further to get an overview of this particular field, it is important to pursue internships in specialised intellectual property law firms. Internships help to set a direction and give an insight to how IP enforcement take place. In order to get acquainted with the concept of IPR there are lots of courses available online and it’s essential to be updated and thorough with current laws and judgements.

Intellectual property is very diverse. It consists broadly of trademark, copyright and patents. It is important to have a technical or science background only if you wish to practice patent law. However, when it comes to trademark or copyright law no additional training is required other than passing the state bar.

IPRs are getting increasingly popular among Indian students. Mostly to serve the industry-centric market that believes in ruthless profiteering, sometimes even at the cost of human rights. They are not introduced to the social and human aspects of IPR and how flexibilities within the IP field can be used to achieve a balanced invention-development model. University of California and Stanford University are the top places to study IPR internationally and get the global exposure. In India, the socialist perspective of IPR can best be acquired in the courses run by InterUniversity Centre for IPR Studies at CUSAT, Kochi. NALSAR University of Law Hyderabad and National Law University Delhi also have good IP curricula, almost at par with its foreign counterparts.