Abstract:

In today’s knowledge driven economy, information generation and R&D have assumed key importance in determining the public perception. Consequently, the understanding of the knowledge based assets such as, innovations, ideas and designs and their management has undergone a change; in which ownership has become a critical issue.

Intellectual Property defined in terms of unused original and creative ideas or works protected by patent, copyright, trademarks and trade secret laws, further classified into patents for inventions, copyrights for literary works, trademarks, and trade secrets in the globalising world characterised by multilateral trade, increasing transparency etc have become more vulnerable to infringements. Thus, the central thinking behind the IPR is that the author must get his due, which will further encourage him to keep up the R&D. IP rights deserve protection all over the world including India particularly the science and technology, software and business method, which are rapidly changing. The world has moved far ahead from 1967, when the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) discussed all issues related to IPs. However, all these issues have to be reviewed afresh with globalization, information and communication technologies and knowledge factors playing a leading role in world affairs.

The purpose of this paper is to critically review all issues related to IPR including trademarks, copyright, plagiarism, by taking into account some case studies from India, and place them in international perspective to draw broad future guidelines.