MUMBAI: India’s intellectual property (IP) mascot – IP Nani – was launched by Commerce and Industry minister Suresh Prabhu over the weekend.
Speaking on the occasion, Prabhu said that the protection of IP rights (IPR) is critical for building a knowledge-based society adding that mere legal provisions are not sufficient for its protection but their strict implementation is equally required. He underlined that piracy is a serious crime which should not go unpunished. He even called for creating awareness against stealing IPR and stressed on the need for participation of society in the effort.
Mascot IP Nani is a tech-savvy grandmother who helps the government and enforcement agencies in combating IP crimes with the help of her grandson ‘chhotu’ aka Aditya. The IP mascot will spread awareness about the importance of IPRs among people, especially children, in an interesting manner.
This character is also in line with the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s campaign for the World IP Day which celebrates the brilliance, ingenuity, curiosity and courage of the women who are driving change in our world and shaping our common future. It also highlighted that how a strong IP system can support innovative and creative women.
The Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), a professional body under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion collaborated with the European Union Intellectual Property Office to produce a series of animated videos on IPRs for children with IP Nani as the central character.
CIPAM has been conducting IPR awareness workshops for school students since April 2017. For the first time ever IPRs have been exclusively included in the NCERT textbook for class 12 school syllabus. These efforts are aimed at inspiring the next generation of creators and innovators to become proud IP owners.
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