Launch of Centre for IPR & Legal Cell at S.A. Engineering College, Chennai
-Jagathis, IP Dome
On the 10th
of January, 2013, IP Dome – IP Strategy Advisors signed an MOU with
S.A.Engineering College to set up the Centre for IPR and Legal Cell at the
College premises at Veeraraghavapuram, Chennai. A large space has been
designated for use of the cell within the sprawling campus of the college,
where students interns of the Department of Management Studies (DOMS) trained
at IP Dome, will offer basic consultation services under the supervision of two
members of the faculty to MSME units and entrepreneurs in and around the
Industrial Estates at Ambattur, Avadi and Thirumazhisai. Students are also being
trained to promote the IP cell in the target regions so that more MSME units
may benefit from the venture. The legal cell will specialise in legal issues
faced by MSME units including labour issues and employee contracts, management
of hazardous chemicals and pollution control, compliance with industry
standards, rent and lease agreements, vendor agreements and licensing.
From its
inception, IP Dome has worked with MSME units in different capacities to
improve access of IPR services to the sector and to promote awareness regarding
the use of IPR and benefits accruing from it to the unit. IP Dome has provided
training sessions in collaboration with MSME- Development Institute, Chennai,
CII, TN Council for Development of Women, Indian Bank (Dr.Alagappa Road and
Avadi Branches), Soroptimist International of Chennai and VIT-TBI which have
been accessed by various groups including independent inventors, MSME units and
Self-help Groups.
In January,
2012, IP Dome provided a Management Development Programme on IP at S.A.
Engineering College which was greatly appreciated by the delegates and the
management of the College. Subsequently, Dr. Vijay, Head of the Department,
DOMS, and the dynamic and forward-looking management of the College, led by the
Principal, Dr.Suyambazhagan, joined our vision for creating a Centre for IPR
and Legal Cell at the college premises to provide professional and prompt IP
and legal services to the MSME units in the proximate industrial estates. Hariprasad,
Manager IP Services at IP Dome, was instrumental in the process.
The industrial
estates of Ambattur, Avadi and Thirumazhisai are under-served in the area of
professional IP and legal services. This deficiency is sought to be fulfilled
by providing professional services at the easily accessible college premises.
The Centre will also be undertaking awareness activities in the form of
seminars, conferences, consultation meetings and entrepreneur talks to
encourage the use of IP to protect innovations. We hope that the Centre will
play a large part in strengthening the MSME sectors served by the Centre.
MSME: the growth
engine of the country
There are over 2.6 million[i] productive SME industrial units, amounting to about 95% of the total
number of manufacturing units across India and claiming about 40% share of the
total exports. MSMEs
contribution to India's GDP is 10 % and over 40% of the industrial output in India comes from the MSME sector
thereby forming a
strong backbone of the fast growing developing economy. [ii]MSMEs are the second largest employment generator in India,
providing 45% of the jobs, after agriculture, averaging about one million jobs
annually at a low capital cost.About 60% of the IT companies in India registered with Technology
Parks are MSMEs and MSMEs have been recognized as
engine of growth.[iii]
In India,
the following chart indicates the threshold investment levels for the MSME
sector:\
Enterprise
|
Engaged in
Manufacturing / Preservation of Goods (incl. Processing Units)
|
Engaged In
Providing/ Rendering of Services
|
Micro
Enterprise
|
Not to
Exceed Rs. 25 Lakhs.
|
Not to
Exceed Rs. 10 Lakhs.
|
Small
Enterprise
|
More than
Rs.25 lakhs but does not exceed Rs. 5 Crores.
|
More than
Rs.10 lakhs but does not exceed Rs. 2 Crores.
|
Medium
Enterprise
|
More than
Rs.5 Crore Rupees but does not exceed Rs. 10 Crore.
|
More than
Rs. 2 Crore Rupees but does not exceed Rs. 5 Crore.
|
A strongly performing indigenously controlled and
innovative MSME sector will go a long way to improving regional growth
prospects, and hence play a role in increasing the GDP per capita growth in
India.Encouraging innovative activity has been at the forefront of the network
of initiatives currently underway in India, which includes the National
Manufacturing Competency Programme (NMCP) 2005.
While the earlier initiatives of the government are
often instituted without a clear appreciation of the nature of innovation and
how innovative activities link to innovative outputs and then feed through to
improved business performance, the schemes under the NMCP are clearly defined
initiatives to create a public-private partnership in the mission to enhance
the innovative and business building capacity of the MSME sector. The National
Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC) has finalized a five-year National
Manufacturing Programme. Ten schemes have been drawn up including schemes for
promotion of ICT, mini tool room, design clinics and marketing support for
SMEs. Implementation will be in the PPP model, and financing will be tied up
during the course of the next year
While
awareness of IP and the benefits to be derived from IP are spreading slowly in
the sector, the full potential of the MSME sector can only be exploited when
the sector begins to view innovation not only in terms of new product or
process development but more generally as good sustainable practice. Knowledge
management, interpretation, identification and application of knowledge
effectively and appropriately throughout the MSME unit would become the driver
of growth in the MSME sector. The Centre for IPR aims to develop strategies,
techniques and practices deployed to facilitate the development and appropriation
of ideas for innovation. The protection of innovations and trademarks as
Intellectual Property through a process of registration, monitoring and
protection in the market, lends a competitive advantage to the product and also
leads to a strong market position. This will also enable MSME sector, in the
long run, to face the present challenges of liberalisation. The initiative will
provide MSME sector more information, orientation and facilities for protecting
their intellectual property and also help the sector to access schemes and
provisions of the Central and State governments to ease the financial strain of
protecting IP. Effective utilisation of IPR tools by MSMEs would also assist
them in technology up-gradation and enhancing competitiveness.
[i]Rawat, “Indian SMEs have huge listing
potential”, Business Standard, August 29, 2011
[iii]Minister
for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, ShriVirbhadra Singhat a Seminar ‘Building A Competitive MSME Segment:
Problems and Prospects’ organized by the PHD Chamber in April, 2011
