| Main | Management | X-Change | Contact |
The IPDP – Intellectual Property Development Program: Needs For Nation Building.
| Prof. Dr. S. Rama RAO | Chairman, The IPDP – Intellectual Property Development Program, New York, USA |
| & Former Director, World Intellectual Property Organization. |
In the global knowledge economy of the present day, intellectual property is as much an asset, or more an asset, than the traditional real property or assets. The interconnected digital world is mostly based on and run by intellectual property, as the top Fortune companies are technology, more precisely information technology, based ones. For instance, today, during the COVID-19, only online platforms, Zoom, Facebook and others, which are all information technology service providers, connect the world; and, they are all intellectual property (IP) underlined ventures. All the software and hardware that we use day in and day out are all owned and protected by intellectual property. This is just one example. In fact, our daily utilities such as the TV channels, cell or mobile phones, laptops, or medicines, vaccines, treatments, and oxygen ventilators; or fashion items, anything that we use from brands to labels are all essentially products and services protected by intellectual property.
In short, intellectual property reflects the creations of human mind. They are in various forms, namely, patents, utility models, trademarks, copyrights, geographical indications or appellations of origin or trade secrets. Like the owner of the property that we see, the creators of these properties also have ownership rights over their products and services. But here in IP, you cannot see these properties like you can see buildings, but they are the creations of their mind and they are called intangible property. The IP owners have all the legal rights like the other real property owners.
The modern and global economy in the 21st century is run by IP. The countries that can produce, commercialize and supply the IP products and services are the new rich.
The essential features of creation of intellectual property are research and development (R&D), innovation and commercialization. The developing countries and LDCs, such as Bangladesh produce educated manpower in basic sciences and technology, but they migrate to developed countries and work in the IP industries and contribute to the developed economies whereas the countries of origin never follow up to R&D and innovation beyond basic education or fundamental research. As a result, these countries remain as producers and suppliers of human raw material resources to industrialized countries whereas the receiving countries absorb them into their economies and utilize for their economic growth. There is a need to move out of the outdated colonial mode of production.
The fate of the economic and social development of Bangladesh and other LDCs and developing countries can radically transform for better, if we can develop a blueprint for IP development based on a proactive policy of innovation, research and development (R&D) in collaboration with public sector and private industry, both national and international. To this end, the government and its several departments would need to evolve and get modernized in institutional thinking with a forward plan and time bound program. The government should also assume the primary responsibility to educate and build IP awareness among public, industry and academia from early on.
This is the most pragmatic approach to Bangladesh and other LDCs and developing countries to move forward quickly. In this connection, we should utilize to the maximum extent available the services and resources of international organizations involved in intellectual property, especially the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) of the United Nations, and World Trade Organization (WTO) whose mandate is to implement TRIPS as a part of global trade mechanism.
The Center for Policy Research, Bangladesh is taking the pioneering lead to develop global-level R&D infrastructure in Bangladesh through the IPDP – Intellectual Property Development Program and to link up with WIPO to bring their services to the benefits of scientists and researchers of Bangladesh and also to coordinate with the government departments as well as the private industry in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
This is not an easy task. But this is the only way for the country to move forward socially and economically. It requires lot of resource support, particularly financial and human resources. We need to mobilize national and international support for this monumental nation building process. Once successful in Bangladesh, it can be the model for social and economic nation building of similarly situated developing countries and LDCs.
We request support of all in the new economic model to contribute to national building in Bangladesh.