Pune: The second National Intellectual Property (IP) Yatra was inaugurated in the city on Wednesday. Organized by the AIC Pinnacle Entrepreneurship Forum in collaboration with the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of India, the event aims to provide a platform for innovative entrepreneurs to connect with industries and accelerate intellectual property commercialization.
The inaugural ceremony was graced by distinguished dignitaries, including Mr. Abhay Dhaptadar, IEDS, Assistant Director Gr.-I (Cluster Development Officer), Ministry of MSME, Government of India; Mr. Ashish Prabhat, Assistant Controller of Patents & Designs, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India; Mr. Arihant Mehta, President, Pinnacle Industries Ltd., Mr. Dennis Bevers, Technology Transfer Officer, VDL Group Netherlands; Ms. Maitreyee Kamble, National Convenor, DICCI; and Mr. Sunil Dhadiwal, CEO, AIC Pinnacle Entrepreneurship Forum.
In his address, Abhay Dhaptadar emphasized the need for a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem. “Startups require structured guidance, financial support, and intellectual property protection to commercialize their innovations successfully,” he stated. The IP Yatra provides insights into patents, trademarks, copyrights, and industrial design registrations, helping entrepreneurs safeguard their ideas.
Ashish Prabhat highlighted the challenges startups face while transitioning into established businesses and underscored the importance of patents and design certification in smooth commercialization. He shared that “Over the past year, our department has reached over 1 million young innovators. The patent process is now completed within six months, and currently, 75,000 patent applications are under review. There has been a 25% increase in patent and design filings, which is a positive trend.”
Maitreyee Kamble stated that DICCI is actively supporting Dalit entrepreneurs in navigating the intellectual property landscape.
Dennis Bevers provided insights on global technology exchange, especially between India and European countries including the Netherlands.
Arihant Mehta emphasized the significance of IP protection in modern markets. “India is a trillion-dollar economy. The economic growth has a lot of gains for the MSME sector in India. Industry, today, is global in the true sense. On one hand, Indian companies are looking at foreign markets, while on the other, foreign companies are looking at India as a big opportunity. IPR, Technology transfer and commercialization have a big role to play in years to come. This National IP Yatra shall benefit the industry on these crucial aspects.”
The event was moderated by Poonam Nahar, with a welcome address by Sunil Dhadiwal, who also highlighted the initiatives undertaken by the AIC Pinnacle Entrepreneurship Forum. The event had a series of sessions, panel discussions, and workshops on these topics and had active participation from over 120 participants from the industry, professionals, and academia.
The Yatra focuses on three key areas:
* Insights on International IPR filing
* Technology Transfer Mechanisms
* Commercialization of Innovations
