Initiative to Incentivize Intellectual Property Creation in Technical Textiles

India is in the process of establishing a framework to incentivize both industry and academia for creating copyrights, trademarks, and patents in technical textiles primarily designed for non-aesthetic purposes. The Ministry of Textiles has put forth a proposal entailing a 10-year period of exclusive rights for industry players to commercialize intellectual property (IP) if their funding contribution accounts for at least 50% of projects financed under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM). Similarly, in cases where the industry contributes a minimum of 10% to the projects, they would be granted exclusive rights for a period of two years.

According to the draft rules, the IP rights of the research outcomes will typically be held by the host institution on behalf of the ministry. In the case of Indian patents, the government will retain march-in rights, including the ability to issue compulsory licenses, should any situation arise where it becomes necessary to protect the public interest regarding the patent and its technology.