Joshi hardsells India’s IP rights position to EU

India has urged European Union (EU) to appreciate New Delhi’s view on intellectual property not as a distinct or self-contained domain but as an important and effective policy instrument to address wide-ranging socio-economic, technological and political concerns.

Seeking EU’s support, HRD and Science Technology Minister Murli Manohar Joshi said integrating Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) with development priorities is high on the agenda. He was addressing European Research Congress 2002 in Brussles.

Joshi advocated that in any new formulation or revision of the patent clause, India must continue to exercise unequivocal sovereign right to protect public health, nutrition and promote public interest in sectors vital to socio-economic and technology development. This view, he said, was vindicated in Doha WTO Ministerial Declaration last year, which said that Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights Agreement should not prevent members from taking measures to protect public health.