Delhi University Plans to Introduce a Certificate Course in Patent Law

Delhi University intends to launch a certificate course in patent law. It will assist students in turning their research into a “tangible” product and teach them the basics of filing for patents. This would be the first time such a course would be given at the university. At Delhi University’s Law Faculty, patent laws are taught as part of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) course. Also, some university science courses include a chapter on the topic as well.

The university has formed a committee to develop the syllabus and other details for a patent law course. The newly formed committee is led by Daman Saluja, Professor at Delhi University’s B R Ambedkar Centre for Biomedical Research’s Medical Biotechnology Laboratory. According to Saluja, the course will help students understand what should be considered when filing for a patent. Many students are unaware of what is patentable and what is not.

A patent is a type of intellectual property that grants the owner the legal right to prevent others from producing, using, or selling an invention.

“In higher education, there is a lot of research that has a tangible outcome, however, people aren’t aware of it… How to make their research a tangible product? People do not know about patent rules and patent laws. DU is planning to start a certification course in this regard that will fill this gap,” she stated.

According to Professor Saluja,

• The certificate course will most likely be a three-four month programme.
• Students will learn the fundamentals of patent laws as well as what factors to consider when applying for a patent.
• The course will be useful for science students who want to learn about patent laws for their research.
• The course will be offered multiple times per year in both online and offline formats.

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Saluja said the country lags in getting innovations patented due to a lack of knowledge about patent laws. Furthermore, the professor stated that the patent application process is lengthy and complex, including the course will aid in filling the void left by a lack of knowledge. Also, the course’s other details and syllabus are being worked out. 

In May, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan suggested that Delhi University start a short-term diploma course in the patent process. “The times have changed. Our country’s inventions are not patentable. “During a three-day international seminar at the university, Pradhan said that DU could start a short-term diploma course on the patent process.” Patent laws are taught as part of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in most universities and law schools, rather than separately. There are only a few institutes in the country that offer separate certificate or diploma courses on patent laws, including the Indian Institute of Patent and Trademark and International Intellectual Property Consulting Firm.

According to DU professor Alka Chawla, who teaches intellectual property, administrative law, and jurisprudence, patent laws are a very relevant subject that should be taught in all science courses rather than simply as a certificate course.

“As innovations come up. We really need people to know patent laws. This is a welcome step. Market-oriented research is also important. This is a very relevant subject and it should be taught in all science courses and not just as a certificate course,” Chawla stated. “It is not taught as a separate course but as chapters of IPR in most universities. We have been teaching this for over 40 years,” she added.

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