An idea dialogue was organised by the School of Ethics, Governance, and Cultural Studies (EGCS), Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth, on ‘Collaborative Innovation: Remodelling IP Framework During the COVID-19 Pandemic’. The audience comprised students, faculty members of CVV and other institutions, and an interested general audience. The discussion was an enquiry in the form of a dialogue between the panellists on the policy shortcomings of the patent system in inducing innovation and its effects at the time of a pandemic.
The programme was moderated by Adv. Pradeep Kumar, a student of LL.M. at CVV. The panellists were Asst. Prof. Nithin V. Kumar and Asst. Prof. Sreenath Namboodiri, from CVV’s School of Ethics, Governance, Culture and Social Systems.
Prof. Nithin introduced the subject and initiated the dialogue by elaborating on the basics of Intellectual Property (IP) and its important role in promoting innovations and creativity. He then explained the current debate on the efficiency of the IP system citing examples of how national systems and conglomerates are using IP to tackle COVID-19 related issues.
Prof. Namboodiri’s opening comments discussed the inefficiencies of the patent system to induce innovations in segments that lack effective demand within the market, citing examples of vaccines and medicines for Neglected Tropical Diseases.
The discussion continued on an intense note with the moderator asking questions such as how the exclusivity rights granted under the IP regime act as a barrier to access, whether it would be possible to achieve a balanced slate where private and public interest are equally protected, what is Open innovation and will such methods assist in overcoming the barriers of IP regime and so on.
After the discussion, the panellists responded to Q&A from the audience. The programme closed with a summing up by the moderator and a formal vote of thanks.
