Seminar on Intellectual Property Rights for Business and Academia Excellence

22-23 June 2016, Bhutan

To build a robust IP system of any country it is very essential to promote knowledge and understanding of intellectual property among the general public and assist the right holders in commercializing their works and maximizing the economic utilization of their intellectual property assets. India –Its neighbor is evolving in the global IP arena and on its path to achieve a robust IP system with good practices and policy interventions. To take a cue from the same and set the tone, there needs to be a forum on understanding practices and procedures from other countries and imbibe in the system.

Though Bhutan is extremely rich in terms of Geographical Indications it lacks experience and expertise in GI. It is essential to assist the rural communities in Bhutan to promote their traditional products in the international market while preserving their identity and biodiversity. Hence there is a need to advance the interest in GI among the rural communities and other producers of Bhutan.

It is equally important to understand the enforcement provisions on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), which are enshrined in the country’s two Intellectual Property Acts of 2001, namely the Copyright Act and Industrial Property Act of the kingdom of Bhutan and how Enforcement agencies like the customs, police, judiciary and trade officials have an important role to play in enforcing IPRs.

With this background, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration with Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) is planning to organize two days seminar on ‘Intellectual Property Rights for Business and Academia Excellence’ and ‘Interactive session with Custom & Police officials’ on 22-23 June 2016 in Hotel Taj Tashi, Thimphu, Bhutan to move forward on mainstreaming IP and deter selling of pirated and counterfeit goods by having strong enforcement measure in place.