The project (EU-India Intellectual Property Cooperation or 'IPC-EUI') was approved by the European Union and the Government of India in an addendum to the Financing Agreement in 2014. In 2013/2014, the European Union and the Government of India reformulated the Capacity Building Initiative for Trade Development programme (CITD) content so as to realign the programme after EPO withdrew from international cooperation programmes. The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) was entrusted with the implementation of the IPR component within a revised timetable. The changes to the original programme were approved in July 2014 through Addendum No 1 to the EU - Government of India Financing Agreement originally signed in December 2011. Annex II to that Addendum No 1 (Technical and Administrative Provisions or TAPS) provided for a revised set of expected results and project activities to be implemented over the period 2015-2018, with a focus in the areas of IP administration (trade marks, industrial designs, geographical indications) and Indian SME brand development.
The overall objective of the project, stemming from the general objective of the CITD, is 'to strengthen India’s capacity to achieve growth and sustainable development and further its integration into the global trade system'.
The specific objectives, supporting the ones described in India´s National IPR Policy, are twofold:
1) To exchange best practices and cooperate in the field of IP Administration between CGPDTM and EUIPO to deliver high quality services and;
2) To enhance the capacity of the Indian productive sector to create, protect and manage its own brands by using IP as a tool for development.
IPC-EUI comprises two components:
I – Trade mark & design administration services & information to the business community aimed at strengthening the capacity of the IP administration in India to deliver quality registration and information services to the business community, particularly in the areas of trade marks and industrial designs. This component supports India´s National IPR Policy, specifically the following objectives therein included; Objective number 4 (IP Administration and Management), Objective number 2 (Creation of IP), Objective number 3 (Legal and Legislative Framework) and Objective number 7 (Human Capital Development).
II – Brand Development aimed at improving the capacity of the productive sector in India, especially small and medium sized companies (SMEs), to create, protect and manage their own brands by using IP as a tool for development. This component supports India´s National IPR Policy, namely; Objective number 1 (IPR Awareness: Outreach and Promotion), Objective number 2 (Generation of IPRs), Objective number 5 (Commercialisation of IPrS) and Objective number 7 (Human Capital Development).
The project also aims at complying with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action as follows:
The Working Agreement signed with the European Commission in December 2014 identifies two main results that are expected to be achieved by the project by the end of 2018. They are correlated to the two project components, as follows:
Component I IP Administration (trademark & design administration services & information to the business community)
Project Result: Strengthened capacity of the Indian IP-related institutions through the exchange of best practices and effective cooperation to deliver high quality services in the areas of trade marks, industrial designs and geographical indications.
Component II Brand Development
Project Result: Improved capacity of the productive sector, especially SMEs to create, protect and manage their own brands by using IP as a tool for development.
These expected results are aligned with the National IPR Policy of India of 12 May 2016.