-DNAIndia.com The infringement suit filed by PepsiCo against Gujarat’s potato farmers is based on legally flawed premises The infringement suit filed by PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt Ltd (PIH), Indian subsidiary of the US multinational corporation, against potato farmers in Gujarat is premised on an untenable interpretation of law on plant breeders in the country.  Yet, on the basis of a claim of an infringement of its potato variety by the accused farmers,...

-Focusweb.org The booklet entitled Politics of Seeds: Common Resources or a Private Property dated December, 2018: * deals with the role of World Bank in the Indian seed sector; * deals with Transformation of seeds from farm-saved traditional seed to monopolized GM seeds; * deals with IPRs and Patents on Seeds, and the threat under FTAs/ RCEP; * deals with major Seed legislations in India; and * presents the alternative in the form of seed conservation...

-PTI NEW DELHI: All IAS officers have been asked to submit details of their assets by next month and warned that the failure to do so would lead to a denial of vigilance clearances needed for promotions and foreign postings. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has written to all Central government departments, states and union territories asking them to ensure submission of Immovable Property Returns (IPRs) by IAS officers working...

-The Hindu Business Line Frowns on India’s IP laws; New Delhi unfazed, says laws are TRIPS-compliant New Delhi: Expressing its disappointment with India for not making adequate changes in its IP laws and regulations despite announcing its National IPR policy last year, the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) office has once again placed the country in the ‘priority watch’ list in this year’s edition of the Special 301 report. “Almost a year after the...

-Down to Earth A high level UN panel on Access to Medicines wants members to make full use of TRIPS flexibilities to protect public health If ever India needed a clear endorsement of its laws on intellectual property rights (IPRs) and their application in meeting public health priorities, it has come from the highest quarters. The report of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel (HLP) on Access to Medicines has, directly...