Until now, patent laws are taught as a part of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) paper at the Delhi University's Law Faculty, and some science courses on the varsity also include a chapter on the topic.
The Delhi University has constituted a committee for framing the syllabus and other modalities for a course on patent laws.
The newly-constituted committee is headed by Daman Saluja, Professor at Medical Biotechnology Laboratory, Delhi University’s B R Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research.
According to the committee head, the course will help the students understand what should be kept in mind while filing for a patent, as many students are not aware of what is patentable and what is not.
Patent law certificate course duration:
The certificate course will likely be a three-four month programme. The course will come in handy for science students who want to learn about patent laws for their research. It is likely to be in a hybrid manned (both online and offline) and might be offered multiple times in a year.
"We are not aware of what terms we should use (while filling for a patent), and what terms we cannot. The filing (for patent) is complicated. It is not just simple filing a form... after one of two days, you have to file a request for its examination. And if you want an early examination, you can make a request. If you file it through a lawyer, then it is not difficult, but lawyers charge a lot," Saluja said, adding that the course will help in filling the void created by lack of knowledge.
In May, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also suggested that Delhi University should start a short-term diploma course on the patent process.
“The times are changing. Our country’s inventions do not get patented. DU can start a short-term diploma course on the patent process," Pradhan had said during a three-day international seminar at the varsity.
Patent law courses in India:
In most universities and law institutes, the patent laws are taught as a part of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and not separately.
There are only a few institutes in the country, including the Indian Institute of Patent and Trademark and International Intellectual Property Consulting Firm, which provide separate certificate or diploma courses on patent laws.
