IndiaPost.com - Intellectual Property protection paramount to global economic growth

MUMBAI: At the 2nd Annual Global Forum on Innovation, Creativity, and Intellectual Property, hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce, the US-India Business Council, the Confederation of Indian Industry, and the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, in Mumbai on Feb 25, industry and government officials from around the world gathered to strengthen their commitment to intellectual property (IP) protection.

David Chavern, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the US Chamber opened the event before a global audience of individuals from Brazil, China, France, India, Ireland, Japan, Singapore, and the United States.

"IP protection will directly affect every one of our countries' economic stability in the 21st century," said Chavern. "If we lose our ability to create, innovate, and generate the best artistic, technological, and knowledge-based intellectual property, our businesses and civil society will fail."

The two day forum was an opportunity for thought leaders from around the world to discuss and make substantive progress on issues like the role of innovation in health care, judicial remedies for IP infringement, IP protection in a digital age, and consumer education and awareness.

"Our task is to engage and defeat our opponents, enlist the help and support of our governments and business communities, and ensure that global growth is not derailed by the wholesale appropriation of ideas that individuals and companies paid for dearly with their time, energy, and money and embody their dreams for a better future," Chavern added.

Later in the day, Chavern and Ron Noble, secretary general, Interpol, held a press conference on the progress of a Chamber/Interpol partnership to combat global IP theft.

The cornerstone of the project is the Database on International Intellectual Property (DIIP). The DIIP is a cutting edge tool built to centralize global IP intelligence, track and analyze trends in counterfeiting and piracy, and more effectively execute law enforcement activities around the world.

At present, governments and industry from around the globe are providing real-time information on the criminals involved in IP theft to the DIIP.

"This historic partnership is allowing law enforcement, government, and industry to work together to more effectively detect and investigate the criminal networks engaged in these crimes," Chavern said. "We except to see major law enforcement actions as a result of this work in the very near future."

The Chamber's Global Intellectual Property Center, in coordination with the U.S.-India Business Council, is working around the world to champion IP as a vital engine of global development, growth, and human progress.

The US Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.