Raghunath Anant Mashelkar - Contribution To Intellectual Property Movement

Contribution To Intellectual Property Movement

Based on a world wide opinion poll (2003–2005), International Journal ‘Managing Intellectual Property’ has listed Mashelkar as being one of the 50 most influential people in intellectual property from 19 countries around the world. Mashelkar was responsible for creating practically a "national movement" on IPR through his visionary campaign with Indian academics, researchers and corporates.

Under his leadership, CSIR occupied the first position in WIPO's top fifty PCT filers among all the developing nations in 2002. CSIR has maintained unprecedented 30% - 40% share of the US patents granted to Indians in India during the last three years.

He spearheaded the challenge of the success revocation of the US patent on wound- healing properties of turmeric (USP 5,401,5041) and chaired the Technical committee, which successfully challenge the revocation of the US patents on Basmati rice (USP 5,663,484) by Ricetec, Texas (2001). This has opened up new paradigms in the protection of traditional knowledge, not only for India but also for the entire developing world.

As the first Chairman of SCIT of WIPO (Geneva), Mashelkar strongly advocated that traditional knowledge be treated at par with industrial property systems, which led to the creation of Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL). Fought successfully in changing the International Patent Classification System to include the Indian traditional knowledge, which is a breakthrough for the entire developing world. In June 2006, the Cabinet took the decision to entrust the responsibility of providing access to TKDL for international patent offices to CSIR. As a member of the prestigious International IPR Commission set up by UK Government (2001) played a crucial role in making recommendations, which balance the rights of the poor. This has made a major impact on international thinking on IPR and development. As a One Man Review Committee of World Wide Academy(WWW) of WIPO, gave a new developing-world orientation to WWW.

As a vice-president of the prestigious WHO Commission on IPR, Innovation & Public Health (2004–06) played a critical role in giving a road map for affordable drugs for the poor.

Read more about this topic:  Raghunath Anant Mashelkar

Famous quotes containing the words contribution to, contribution, intellectual, property and/or movement:

    Sometimes I think that idlers seem to be a special class for whom nothing can be planned, plead as one will with them—their only contribution to the human family is to warm a seat at the common table.
    F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940)

    He left behind, as his essential contribution to literature, a large repertoire of jokes which survive because of their sheer neatness, and because of a certain intriguing uncertainty—which extends to Wilde himself—as to whether they really mean anything.
    George Orwell (1903–1950)

    To be wholly devoted to some intellectual exercise is to have succeeded in life.
    Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894)

    Those whom the gods chose as their property must not consort with mortals.
    Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872)

    She had to lean away.
    She dared not stir a foot,
    Lest movement should provoke
    The demon of pursuit
    That slumbers in a brute.
    Robert Frost (1874–1963)