Rangareddy: Intellectual property rights will be a trend setter in horticulture sector

RANGAREDDY: Emphasising that intellectual property rights (IPR) will became a trend setter in future, Dr. B Neeraja Prabhakar, Vice- Chancellor, Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University (SKLTSHU), has said that, “every aspect will have involve IPR in future. As such, researchers and professors should think this way more earnestly and be ready to protect IPR.”

She was addressing a seminar ‘IPR for commercialisation in Horticulture in Telangana State” jointly organised by the State Council of Science and Technology (SCST) and Horticultural University IPR Cell in the university at Mulugu.

“According to global trend, IPR are very important in the horticulture sector; this should be planned accordingly to bring benefits to farmers, besides upscaling geographical identification for horticultural crops in Telangana,” she said.

“Surveys and researches are being conducted on many eligible horticultural crops and statistics are being collected. Soon they will be applied for geographical indication registration.”

Dr. Prabhakar called upon students to prepare for registration immediately if there is an opportunity to protect IPR in research undertaken by them.

SubhajitSaha, a resolute IPR lawyer, delivered the keynote lecture on ‘Geographical Indications and Copyrights in Horticultural Crops’. “Producers of geographical indication crops should definitely print that logo on their products and focus on exports. Besides, the art of hand painters should also be protected as they are diminishing every moving day. People should buy the products made by hand painters and encourage them. The State has plenty of products eligible for IPR,” he said.

Explaining the importance of patents, Dr. Radhika Vangala, patent agent, SCST, said “If there is an inventive step novelty and industrial applications from pencil to spaceship, it can be recognised as a patent.

She said many people don’t know that their research has the potential for patent recognition.” She shed light on the patenting process and how to protect copyright after getting it.

University dean of horticulture Dr. Adapa Kiran Kumar in his address stated that the number of IPR is a measure of an organisation’s performance.

PG Dean, university IPR Cell Dr. M Rajasekhar, nodal officer Dr. PidigamSaidiah, PG College associate dean Dr. Lakshminarayana, besides professors, researchers and students, attended the seminar.