National winners felicitated at the 6th IP Conclave and Intellectual Property Talent Search Examination (IPTSE) Awards

New Delhi : Continuing its legacy of being the marquee IP event in the country, the 6th edition of IP Conclave and Intellectual Property Talent Search Examination (IPTSE) Awards, were concluded with the felicitation of national award winners of IPTSE 2023. The awards highlight the growing significance of Intellectual Property in the country in academia as well as the industry.

Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa, Government of India and Hon’ble Justice C Hari Shankar, Judge, Delhi High Court, were present as the Chief Guest and Guest of Honour. They felicitated the students with cash prizes, certificates and trophies for their success.

Applicants to IPTSE were ranked based on categories — School, University, Faculty and Working Professional. Toppers of the School category of the 2023 edition of IPTSE included Ragi Sharma of Gaurs International School, Greater Noida (Rank 1) Anuraag Sriram Swaro of Modern English School, Jeypore, Odisha (Rank 2) and Harsh Sharma of Everest Higher Secondary School, Bhopal (Rank 3).

In the University category the top three rank holders were Krishnanshu Kapoor of Delhi University, Eesha Parande of Marathwada Mitra Mandal’s Shankarrao Chavan Law College, Pune and Prachi Mudholkar from Cummins College of Engineering for Women. Akanksha Diwedi of Acropolis Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Indore and Bhuvnesh Sharma were top ranked in the Faculty and Working Professional categories respectively.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa, Government of India said, “Innovation will be a critical driver of growth for India to become a $35 trillion economy by 2047. Intellectual Property (IP) Rights demonstrate a country’s ability to push for innovation. Efforts like decreasing time for patent filings are now at par with the United States and Japan. Startups, even from tier2/3 cities, are able to innovate because of tech enablement infrastructure and are contributing towards wealth creation. Initiatives like the IPTSE promote IP rights and talent search in the country which is highly commendable.”

Commenting on Generative AI and IP, Hon’ble Justice C Hari Shankar, Judge, Delhi High Court, said, “AI and IP go on parallel tracks. Internationally, from a judicial standpoint, there is yet no definitive legal position on the interaction of AI and IP. So, to what extent AI generated content can be protected, to what extent AI will interfere with protection of IP rights, these are all matters which have become extremely complex. We will have to see how global and Indian jurisprudence evolves in this regard.”

Ms. Hitaishi Trivedi, Director, IPTSE (A Venture of IPETHICON – An Educational Academy), said, “We are thankful to the government, Nasscom, and our industry partners including Ericsson, who have been instrumental in the successful completion of yet another edition of this national IP examination. Growing interest in a subject like IP has seen enthusiastic participation from students, start-ups and young professionals in IPTSE 2023. The IPTSE Academy is committed building awareness around IPR, instrumental towards contribution to the Indian innovation ecosystem.”

During the conclave, Ms. Gabriele Mohsler, Vice President, Patent Development, Ericsson, said, “IPTSE was launched with an aim to attract the brightest minds in India to know more about intellectual property, and as a partner in this journey it is heartening to see the level of interest in the subject. Initiatives like IPTSE have been central to generating awareness around IP and making it mainstream. As the global leader in communication solutions, Ericsson supports the government’s vision to optimize innovation potential and transform India into a global innovation hub.”

The awards, which are the result of an IP Talent Search Exam held annually, are conducted by IPETHICON Educational Academy. With nasscom as the conclave partner, legal IP firm, Remfry and Sagar as the lead partner and Ericsson as the industry partner for the event, the awards were well attended by several educational institutes, Ministries and Government departments. IPTSE is also supported the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) and Punjab State Council for Science and Technology. The Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), under Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, collaborated as the knowledge partner.

Started in 2018, IPTSE is India’s first comprehensive examination on intellectual property rights, aimed at driving awareness among young learners and undergraduate students about patents, design, trademark, copyrights, industrial design and trade secrets. Since inception, more than 13,000 young aspirants have taken the examination, and more than 250 volunteers have been working tirelessly to increase awareness about the course among students, researchers, academicians and innovators across India. IPTSE continues to be India’s first and only IP examination committed to driving awareness on the need for adopting and implementing best IPR practices in the industry that will safeguard the interest of our young innovators and entrepreneurs and foster a culture of innovation and creativity throughout India.