Geographical Indication & Chennapatna – a toy town’s odyssey

India, being a signatory to World Trade Organization (WTO) and Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), requires protection for its products originated with specific quality and geographical origin under GI so that the producers of other countries do not corner the benefits arising out of the unique products. Producers/inventors can claim protection in other WTO-member countries only if their items are protected in the country of origin. Therefore, the Government of India has started the task of identifying potential cases of GIs, the products of which have not just demand and value in the domestic and export markets but also the priceless recognition. The Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks attached to the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry also acts as the Registrar of GI. The most awaited GI certificate for Chennapatna toys has finally been issued. The Geographic Indications Registry of India has granted GI certificate (application number 23 under class 28) to Chennapatna toys and dolls, thereby enabling the skilled producers of these toys to prevent others from exploiting their products without permission.

Chennapatna toys are a particular form of toys that are manufactured in the town of Chennapatna of Bangalore rural district of Karnataka state, India. At the border of the village of Chennapatna is a forest that is a source of the wood. The evolution of this craft can be traced back to the days of the then ruler of Mysore, Tipu Sultan. He ventured into inviting skilled craftsman from Persia to train the local craftsman in making the wooden toys. This craft has a long history of 500 years and in all these years it transformed in to a community based traditional occupation offering livelihood to 6000 people. The characteristics which make the toys of Chennapatna so special are shape, carving and color. In the early days, Ivory wood was used to make the toys but slowly the community has started bringing in other types of wood like sycamore, cedar, pine and teak. Occasionally, they do use rosewood and sandalwood for making toys for special purposes. Vegetable dyes are used in the coloring process to ensure that the toys and dolls are safe for use by children. So, the available raw material and skills of artisans in this area has contributed for the development of this cottage industry since the 15th century.

These craftsmen called chitragars are involved in this traditional craft since ages mostly reside in several villages around Chennapatna like Makkan, Yelekeri and Diara and make beautiful toy sets to include a complete kitchen ware set with a grinding stone, mortar, pestle and rolling pin, as well as to hold water. Other creations include telephone, planes, engines, trains, trucks and balls. Even balancing dolls which require higher degree of precision to maintain counterpoise is done with much ease. Very small beads on a string (sold on a 100 lots) and small pencil caps with face painted for effect are all part of their products. Apart from these traditional models, contemporary toys like wonder stackers, building blocks, sets of beads for threading, abacus, tableware, bangles & jewels, furniture items and cradles are being manufactured by these artisans. Now, they also produce articles for interiors in addition to traditional products. Colored with natural dyes, these toys play a role in the child’s motor development, hand-and-eye co-ordination, building up of word skills, spatial and conceptual skills and counting ability. The delightful ‘pom-pom’ rail toy crafted by traditional Chennapatna toy makers, was the proud recipient of the prestigious UNESCO – CCI Seal of Excellence Award for Handcrafted products.

The Karnataka Handicrafts Development Corporation (KHDC) provides assistance to artisans by extending technical & financial support, infrastructure and training to suit the changing trends. However, life for these artisans is not a feather bed. As much of the demand for these toys comes from abroad, the necessity to maintain highest quality standards has become a challenging task for these people. Even if there is a minor defect in one of the toys, the entire lot is bound to get rejected. Despite Government’s intervention, there is still a significant population who couldn’t modernize their working equipment with lathes and other tools. This limitation inhibits them from mass production and thereby preventing them from enjoying the benefits of the economies of scale. Devising appropriate strategies for leveraging the benefits arising out of the grant of GI and continued assistance from the Governmental & Non – Governmental institutions are imperative to sustain this invaluable craft.

A trip to charminar - A new experience and a nice weekend trip with friends

Last Saturday (14 th feb,2009.) we all went to trip around Hyderabad. It was an entirely new experience for all of us. We went to Ramoji film city in Hyderabad and later to the famous Charminar. Ramoji film city is an exciting place and I had been to a place like this for first time, but what caught my attention most was Charminar. This is not only my case but most of my friends are also of the same opinion. It is not that any of us had not visited any historical monuments before, but this time our perspective and outlook was different. Apart from seeing the magnificent building of Charminar, its architecture which is beyond comparison and feeling pride in the air which flowed around that precious stone of Indian heritage I also saw something else which I had never seen before in any of the historical monuments I had the privilage of visiting. When I got down the bus and saw for the first time that historical masterpiece which has become the very synonym to the city of Hyderabad and it wasnt the magnificence or architecture which caught my eye, but the fact that it was a symbol of our traditional knowledge, our culture, our art. What instantly struck my mind was that what will happen if someone tries to copy the design of our Charminar. The design, the magnificence, the architecture was of course not that easy to copy when Charminar was made but it certainly is not a big deal today. How can we protect this masterpiece of ours if some one decides to copy it or make similar model of it in some other country. What will happen to our pride which we feel when we look at out historical monuments, the feeling that we get when we get marvelled by the art and knowlegede of that time when technology was not so advanced and things were not that simple. All these questions boggled my mind for a long time. Are there any international agreements which provide protection to traditional knowledge of this sort? We live in a post TRIPS era and I am well aware of the fact that designs are given an IP status and are protected by law, but what I am not able to understand is that what type of protectionis given to such types intellectual properties. They are too old to qualify for copyrights and in any case such masterpieces are not meant to be replicated and so the issue of copyrights is totally out of question. It was later that evening when it struck me that it is pretty obvious that no one will copy it, as no one can get any benefit out of it, it too popular to be replicate. But that still I think we could have an act in place for such monuments. This can also help our people in realizing the importance of these a little more and people will take extra care and will think before scribbling on them as I saw many scribblings on charminar.

Why did I opt for this course at NAARM

I graduated with majors in Agricultural Engineering in the year 2006. Then, I went on to work for a Tractor & Ag Machinery manufacturing firm. My brief stint with the organization has given me an opportunity to understand the true value of innovation in the market place. Companies invariably try harder to steer themselves clear out of the commodity hell. They wanted their products to be seen as products rather than as mere commodities. This reinforced my conviction on innovation and the importance of managing it effectively. When I first came across admission notification for this program on IP & Technology Management, I felt it was something that I was looking for to enhance my understanding and further hone my skills especially at times when the effect of recession is taking a deeper cut and making careers redundant over night. Having closely seen the role of IP attorney in shaping the company’s direction, I felt excited to wear that hat and so I am here today doing my PG Diploma in Intellectual Property & Technology Management.

Why I choose IP ?

I graduated with majors in Agricultural Engineering in the year 2006. Then, I went on to work for a Tractor & Ag Machinery manufacturing firm. My brief stint with the organization has given me an opportunity to understand the true value of innovation in the market place. Companies invariably try harder to steer themselves clear out of the commodity hell. They wanted their products to be seen as products rather than as mere commodities. This reinforced my conviction on innovation and the importance of managing it effectively. When I first came across admission notification for this program on IP & Technology Management, I felt it was something that I was looking for to enhance my understanding and further hone my skills especially at times when the effect of recession is taking a deeper cut and making careers redundant over night. Having closely seen the role of IP attorney in shaping the company’s direction, I felt excited to wear that hat and so I am here today doing my PG Diploma in Intellectual Property & Technology Management.

Why IPR ??????

Intellectual property Rights as the name suggests “the rights given to a person for his creative work”. Everyone who matters in the scientific sector is talking about IPR and the importance of protecting scientific discoveries with commercial potential. In any discussion in public and private sector the first question asked “Has our IPR been protected? ”
Liberalization & globalization has dramatically altered the perception about science and its practices in India. IPR has become important in the face of changing trade environment which is characterized by the following features namely global competition, high innovation risk, short product cycle, need of rapid change in technology, high investment in R&D, production & marketing and need of highly skilled human resources
Being graduated from the field of Biotechnology I know that lot of R&D work is being going on in the field of biology and the sector of R&D require huge investment. To justify such a huge investment cost in R&D companies want to gain a competitive advantage. From here our works starts, I think that IPR management plays a crucial role
in managing the innovation by providing them legal protection. Only by getting temporary monopoly profit can such companies continues to invest in R&D on long-term basis. Business world is going day by day dynamic and competition is globalized. As a result legal protection strategies are made to ensure freedom of action and block competition Only .6% of the innovative idea is being successful & this success rate is very less (1 in 10000) in the pharma sector. Thus IPR has become a suitable instrument for influencing sustainability & return-on-investment.

Why did I choose this course?

Contribution from the agriculture sector for GDP has been reducing from last 3-4 decades. There is an urgent need to look for new avenues to enhance it. Research and development can be one such path. But in present era of globilized world can that really benefit all those in agriculture? My fears are based on what I have read in the Newspapers. How our farmers loose their right to plant or grow. Since I am from an family of agriculturists and farming is our main source of income, I wanted to understand the possible rights for growers. I heard that sound management can help all the stakeholders. I feel that if I can get real insights through formal study, I can learn to use the tools to transfer knowledge to product development.

NAARM launches a PGD in IP and technology management

Recently, National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) in Hyderabad launched a new 1-year Post Graduate diploma in Intellectual property and technology management in Agriculture. The course took off on 28th January 2009, and is presently in progress. 16 students from diverse backgrounds ranging from biotechnology to horticulture and engineering to agriculture have been admitted after an entrance test, a group discussion and a personal interview. The curriculum is a mixture of agriculture, IP, management, economics, finance and law, apart from other personality development courses.

I have worked in the field of IP for few months in a patent analytics startup and I wanted to learn more about this much talked about and emerging field. I am from a biotechnology background and I found this course particularly beneficial for me, as I had been advised by many experts to venture into IP and adopt it as a career. IP is one place where you can study law, management and technology at one level and this course aimed at exactly the same. Therefore, I applied for it and you may call it luck that I got selected. Now, how things will turn out after a year will remain a mystery till time demystifies it but I know one thing that this one-year of my life at NAARM will be full of activities and lot of knowledge gathering and opportunities for development. Indeed I am looking forward to a great year!