Invent, create, protect

CIPAM team

Through an article in the April edition of Teacher Plus magazine, for the very first time we tried to initiate a conversation with teachers on the subject of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) – a topic that is fast catching a lot of attention and for good reason; after all, the global standing of any nation in this era of knowledge now depends on its innovative and creative capabilities and Intellectual Property (IP) produced is nothing but a measure of the same.

Already a great shift has been seen in teaching practices at schools, with teachers now adopting new techniques imbibing innovation and creativity in the classroom. We are increasingly encouraging our students to invent and create. But not only is it important to encourage them to create, it is just as important to teach them how to protect their creations and inculcate in them how to respect others’ IP. Thus, talking about IP Rights and empowering our children with this knowledge has now become imperative.

What is Intellectual Property?
While talking to students about IPR, the first and foremost question to address is, of course, what is IP? Lead the students into the subject by asking them simple questions, such as – who invented the television? Who created the electric bulb? Who wrote the ‘Jungle Book’? Who wrote Vande Mataram? As students give answers to these questions, ask them how did these creations come into being? The answer is simple – they were all once an idea in the minds of inventors, authors and creators. They came into being when these individuals worked towards developing their ideas and translating them into reality. They are all but examples of IP; simply put, IP is a product of human intelligence and hard work. Ideas by themselves hold little value; they need to be developed, converted into novel products or services and commercialized successfully to earn profits and benefits. When an idea is given an expression, it becomes your IP. Thus, IP refers to the product of human creativity and skill.

Ask the students to look around the classroom and give examples of some IPs. Everything from a projector, fan, books, mobile phone, poems, stories, comics, artwork are all, or have been, someone’s IP.

What are Intellectual Property Rights?
Since IP is a creation of the human mind, it is intangible in nature; meaning that it cannot be touched. However, just like our tangible property, for example, a house – we have certain rights attached to our intangible, intellectual property as well. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) are like any other property right. It gives IP owners, exclusive rights to benefit from their own work. For example, an author holds the exclusive rights to reproduce his/her novel and sell the same.

Who can create Intellectual Property?
Absolutely anyone! A teacher, student, driver, banker, a company big or small, your friend or even you! IP only depends on an individual’s calibre for creation and invention. IP does not see the age, education, gender or socio-economic background of a person. It only depends on a person’s mental capability, and in this aspect since everyone is unique, the expanse for creation is vast.

Some young IP trailblazers of India
Students might still feel that they are too young to create an IP. To remove self-doubt from their minds and encourage them to create here are a few examples that you may give your students –

• Hridayeshwar Singh Bhati – This young boy from Jaipur filed for a patent for his circular chess board allowing six players to play at a time in 2012 when he was just nine years old.
• Edward Thomas Clint – An Indian prodigy from Kochi, Kerala, he made 25,000 paintings in the short seven years of his life.
• Rujhaan Chaudhary – Rujhaan, of Sirsa, Haryana, wrote a book ‘Nanhe Pankhon Ki Udan’ at the age of eight years.

What are the different types of IPRs?
Since ideas are expressed in different forms, there are different rights protecting them. The different types of IPRs are as follows –
Patents – protect scientific inventions in the form of a product or a process.
Trademarks – protect logos, names and brands.
Copyright – protects the works of artists, musicians and writers.
Designs – protect the look, shape and feel of products.

Hold out a mobile phone to the students and ask them to now identify the different types of IP within a mobile phone. Patents protect the inventive technology in the mobile phone, Trademarks are all the different brand names that sell a mobile phone, there is Copyright protecting various photographs and songs stored in the mobile phone and the phone case or cover is protected by Design.

Why IP?
Do a simple activity with a few student volunteers. Ask them to describe a typical day in their life from the moment they wake up till the time they go to sleep. Also ask them to try and identify various IPs they come across during this time.

As soon as they wake up they probably shut off the alarm clock which once had a patent protecting it. They go to the washroom to brush their teeth with a toothpaste by a brand protected by trademarks. In their homes there are endless number of gadgets – all signifying different technological innovations which are also an IP. The books they read, the songs they listen to are protected by copyrights.

In a world without IP there would be no new and exciting inventions, no art to appreciate. The marketplace will lose its vibrancy with no trademarked brands and all objects would look the same without different designs to help us distinguish them.

Many times, creation of IPs also help create jobs for a person and their family as well as their community at large. The revenue earned by commercializing an IP has a direct impact in creating a stronger economy for the nation.

Respecting IP
Creating IP is the way the human race has developed into its current form. India, a nation full of artists, authors, inventors and tinkerers, has also contributed in the modern world of creations. However, many a time creations have been stolen or exploited just because IP owners lacked the adequate knowledge to protect them. Another reason is the existing culture of copying and stealing that discourages people from sharing their IP.

Ask the students another simple question as depicted in the photograph.

While laws, regulations and efficient enforcement mechanisms are all necessary, they do not in themselves cultivate respect for IP among the general public. And what better way to do this than reach out to school children? After all, it is far easier to build an understanding of the role of IP in supporting innovation and creativity and to engender greater respect for IP Rights at an early age that it is to change deep-rooted misperceptions down the line. The aim now is to both inspire children about innovation and its limitless possibilities and to build respect for IP rights.

In our Let’s Talk IP series continuing in the next edition of Teacher Plus, we shall discuss about how to reach out to students on the subject of Patents and create awareness amongst them regarding protection of technological inventions.

The Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), is set up under the aegis of Department of Promotion for Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. CIPAM addresses the identified objectives of the National IPR Policy. If any school is interested in organizing an IPR awareness session for their students, they may write to cipam-dipp@gov.in.