What are the key focus areas and goals outlined under the National IPR Policy, 2016?

On May 12th, 2016, the Union Cabinet approved the Policy. It acknowledges India's well-established, TRIPS-compliant legal structure to protect IPRs and strives to balance its development objectives by making use of the flexibilities offered by the global regime. The Policy places a special emphasis on spreading knowledge about IPRs and emphasising their value as a marketable financial asset and a tool for the economy. IPR Policy focuses on: Improving access to healthcare, food security, and environmental protection, among other areas of critical social, economic, and technological importance fostering creativity and innovation and thereby promoting entrepreneurship and enhancing socio-economic and cultural development. The Policy outlines seven goals that are further defined with actions that must be taken by the designated nodal Ministry or Department. The goals are briefly discussed below: i. IPR Awareness: Outreach and Promotion: To create public awareness about the economic, social and cultural benefits of IPRs among all sections of society. A nation-wide program of promotion was launched with an aim to improve the awareness about the benefits of IPRs and their value to the rights holders and the public. It will build an atmosphere where creativity and innovation are encouraged in public and private sectors, R&D centers, industry and academia, leading to the generation of protectable IP that can be commercialized. It is also necessary to reach out to the less-visible IP generators and holders, especially in rural and remote areas. The clarion call of the program would be the holistic slogan "Creative India; Innovative India". ii. Generation of IPRs: To stimulate the generation of IPRs. India has a large talent pool of scientific and technological talent spread over R&D institutions, enterprises, universities and technical institutes. There is a need to tap this fertile knowledge resource and stimulate the creation of IP assets. A comprehensive baseline survey or IP audit across sectors will enable assessment and evaluation of the potential in specific sectors, and thus formulate and implement targeted programs. Its main focus is on facilitating researchers and innovators in areas of national priority. The corporate sector also needs to be encouraged to generate and utilize IPRs. Steps also need to be taken to devise mechanisms so that the benefits of the IPR regime reach all inventors, especially MSMEs, start-ups, and grassroots innovators. iii. Legal and Legislative Framework: To have strong and effective IPR laws, which balance the interests of rights owners with the larger public interest. The existing IP laws in India were either enacted or revised after the TRIPS Agreement and are fully compliant with it. These laws, along with various judicial decisions, provide a stable and effective legal framework for the protection and promotion of IPRs. India shall remain committed to the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health. At the same time, India is rich in traditional medicinal knowledge, which exists in diverse forms in our country, and it is important to protect it from misappropriation. iv. To modernize and strengthen service-oriented IPR administration. The Offices that administer the different Intellectual Property Rights (IPOs) are the cornerstone of an efficient and balanced IPR system.