I, Altaf Jahangir submit the call for papers focusing on
Technology landscaping of GIs in India an emerging economy of
the World. This study navigates the complexity of the Geographical Indications in the emerging economies of Indian sub continent; Geographical Indications in India is of a total traditional domain which has given the opportunity for local innovations, research and development, usage of language and knowledge, expansion of cultural and business practices. Focus on pragmatic IP development GI is an important intellectual property element with India as the largest basket of traditional GIs in the world, to compliment the market and the usage of Geographical Indications as products and services, which benefits the economic status of the region, and even from the cultural inheritance and acceptance of commercial opportunities from eras and centuries. The GIs will be instrumental in connecting the global institutions with commercial partners to bring their technologies and have better market access for key IP players, commercial organizations and the innovators providing opportunities to shape the cultural designed products and services. Technology landscaping of GIs in India is a matter of great concern with impediments, IP infringements and absence of National IP Policy which has hindered the growth of GI products and services in the Indian sub continent. Challenges faced by GIs in India 1. Absence of budgetary allocations for GI management and legal support for registrations and usage 2. Absence of IP knowledge, training and technical know how 3. Wide gap between the GI holder and commercial organizations
4. Absence of financial and legal mechanisms for marketing of
GI products and services 5. Absence of a GI platform in India for better co ordination and synchronization of IP stake holders 6. Meager support from the government
and
the
local
authorities for storage and usage of GIs
The GIs enhances the opportunity to the local innovations, triggering large scale employment opportunities and imparts robust growth in exports with balanced socio economic development of the region. GIs in India need collaboration from the incoming technologies for enhancement in capabilities and abilities for competitive intelligence and to gain a better commercial value in the international markets. The changing GI matrix in India The intellectual property and its scope and applications have wider economic ramifications throughout the world. The product based developed countries have become richer and wealth is moving towards the nations owning the IP products. India an Agri driven economy has to sustain on products and services largely derived from Agriculture income and allied services wherein GIs play a pivotal role to bring traditional agriculture products and services in the international mainstreams of Intellectual property ownership, driving the nation towards a global IP economy. The successive governments in the past have shown meager interest in the development of GIs in India and with the new global trends and the changing IP equations have identified GIs as an important element for sustainable IP development and creation of an cyclical IP economy.
The recent times have seen large scale filing of traditional
knowledge in India with enhanced awareness of age old and cultural knowledge transferred from generations to generations. The government needs to contribute with financial and technical interventions for better innovations which increase the efficiency levels in the field of business sophistication, technological readiness financial and infrastructural market developments and bridging the gap between the innovators and the commercial IP users. The global innovative index reflects Indias position as 64 th in the world and ranks no 1 in central and southern Asia, to regenerate Indias intellectual growth we need to provide additional privilege facilities for the target GIs groups for sustainable agricultural growth in the region. The changing global trends in the field of food consumptions and lifestyles have assumed a paramount importance for research and development in major food products, changing the specifications, formulation and preparation of the traditional food and lifestyle products. The adoption of the traditional food and lifestyle products with technological modifications, diversified designs and enhanced capabilities of the products and services have given economic independence for few target GI groups in India. The policy makers shall extend the economic surveillance for the development of research activity in the field of Geographical Indications and including the GI as an important IP product under the purview of greater budgetary allocations, financing and socio economic ramifications. The GIs in India shall mark and affect the socio economic environment of the people with greater economic freedom, innovative enterprising, strategy and decision making with large scale productivity of goods and protected services.
The GI statistics registered in India reflect a strong robust growth
of traditional technologies and know how, the IP stake holders shall enhance the integration of GI clusters with access to national and international markets with hassle free research support, technology transfer, transshipment of IP and storage of GI knowledge across the global markets. The sustainability of the traditional knowledge shall contribute for the economic development of the nation with new innovations and incubations catering to the needs of the global IP markets and enhancing the nations intellectual strength and the innovative index.