Govt. responds to USTR Report placing India in the “Priority Watch List” - Prometheus IP

In response to clubbing India with other countries in the “Priority watch list” of special 301 report released by USTR, the Commerce and Industry Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman stated that India will keep its national interest in mind while framing the new IPR policy and will not respond to outside pressure. She also stated that the US had given its suggestions for the drafting of the new IPR policy mainly with regard to section 3(d) of the Indian Patents Act. This statement is of significance given the concern of many Indian IP experts about the way in which the new IPR policy is being drafted and the Prime minister’s statement implying India needs to improve its IPR regime.