NIPO - Empowering India's Intellectual Property Ecosystem and Legal Framework

Who We Are

NIPO is an association of creators, users and owners of Intellectual Property. Members of NIPO include scientists, authors, artists, filmmakers, musicians, corporates, civil servants, academicians, legal experts and intellectuals among others.

A brief introduction to the Members and Experts associated with NIPO is as under :

Mr.Shahid Alikhan - is a highly distinguished statesman in the field of intellectual property. A former Deputy Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and Undersecretary General in the United Nations, he is the author of numerous articles, monographs and books on various aspects of intellectual property rights as they relate to corporate competitiveness and socio-economic development. Mr. Alikhan writes, lectures and conducts seminars in diverse areas of intellectual property rights as counterfeiting, the Internet, and electronic commerce, for such UN organizations as WIPO, UNESCO and ITC, as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations, private sector institutions in Europe and in developing countries. He also acts as representative and Senior Adviser of the World Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (WASME) on continuing and promoting assistance to SMEs worldwide, and serves on the Editorial Board of the monthly journal of Intellectual Property Rights of the National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR) in New Delhi . He is also a member of the Governing Council of the Indian Institute of Intellectual Property Development (IIPD).

Prof. T.C. JAMES- President, NIPO - Prof. James is currently also Visiting Fellow, Research & Information System for Developing Countries and also Visiting Faculty, Indian Academy of International Law. He is also on the Guest Faculty of many law institutes. He is also Member of Speaker's Research Initiative and Member, Academic Council, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Shekhawati University, Sikar. He is a former Director, Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) Division (2001-2009), Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, India. He has handled law and policy relating to various IPRs such as copyrights, geographical indications, designs, trademarks and patents. Earlier he had worked in the Copyright Office of India (1996-2001). He had been leader/member of Indian delegations on intellectual property rights (IPRs) to World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), WTO and UNO during 1996-2009. He had also been key negotiator on IPR matters in bilateral trade negotiations with many countries including Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, US and EU (2002-09). James was Research Advisor of the project 'Geographical Indications and Localisation' of the University of Warwick, National IPR Expert, UNIDO-ICAMT and also IPR Consultant, FICCI. Prof. James is author of Patent Protection and Innovation, Geographical Indications: Frequently Asked Questions, and Copyright: Frequently Asked Questions, India-Africa Partnership in Health Care and co-author of A Handbook of Copyright Law brought out by the Government of India, besides chapters in several books on intellectual property rights. He has published many papers on intellectual property rights, education, history and religion, besides poems, in journals and periodicals.

Dr. RK Dhawan (National Intellectual Property Organization), immediate past President of NIPO, is a PhD in Public Administration from the Indian Institute of Public Administration New Delhi . He has held various senior level appointments in the Government of India and Civil Society and retired as Additional Director General of Foreign Trade from the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. He was appointed as Director General Federation ofIndian Export Organizations and held the post from 1995-1997. Dr. Dhawan has a varied and rich experience in foreign trade policy and export promotion activities and has worked as Director General FIEO, Advisor in the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry) FICCI, is the Secretary General of Confederation of Indian Exporters (CIE), New Delhi and is in the Board of Directors of many leading private sector organizations. Dr. Dhawan has been in the Governing Body of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade and has been regularly delivering lectures on trade policy and promotion as well as interacting actively with the electronic and print media on the subject.

Prof. Verma is a highly acclaimed expert in Intellectual Property Laws and also specializes in International Public and Economic Laws. Professor Verma is SJD ( Harvard , USA ) LL.M. ( Berkeley , USA ) and LL.M. (BHU). Her assignments include Director, Indian Law Institute, New Delhi and Professor of Law University of Delhi. Prof. Verma is presently Team Leader in the IPR component of the EU-India Trade & Investment Development Program (TIDP).

Mr. Amarjit Singh is founder and senior partner, Amarjit and Associates law firm, New Delhi and registered patent agent under the Indian Patents Act. A highly experienced IP Attorney who has handled IP litigation in India as well as abroad, Mr Singh is visiting faculty in the Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and IP institutes across the country. He is a regular speaker at national seminars, conferences and workshops organized by the Government of India, Chambers of Commerce and Universities. Mr. Singh has acted as a counsel in over 3000 cases in India and has held senior positions in various professional and civic associations and has authoured numerous publications on IP law and enforcement issues.

Dr. S. Chakravarthy is a Civil Servant by profession. He was Special Chief Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Member, MRTP Commission, Member High Level Committee on Competition Policy and Law and Member of the new Indian Competition Law Drafting Committee. Presently he is a Consultant on Competition .

Mr. Mukerji is a recognized national expert in forestry sector planning , project management, evaluation and review, project formulation and investment planning & development, joint sector management & designing of institutional curricula for human resource development through training. He has also considerable international experience in his areas of specialization and had undertaken several international assignments as senior consultant on behalf of FAO, UNDP, UNEP, ADB, FORSPA and EU Commission.

Dr. V.K. Gupta is a senior scientist presently researching the issues of intellectual property rights, WTO, and S&T policy reforms in the context of Indian R&D policy and management . His main areas of specialization include international affairs in science and technology, S&T policy and management, dual use technology and export controls, transfer of technology, and human resource management. He has more than 30 years of experience in these fields and has written several publications and technical reports.

Mr. Liberhan, Director, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi is an LLB from Symbiosis Pune and MA from Punjab University Chandigarh. His expertise and skills include a diverse experience with a significant range of responsibilities at senior levels in government, public sector and NGO environment, building and sustaining organisations, programmes and missions with sector specific objectives and services and formulating initiatives for developing policy parameters in the economic and financial sectors.

Mr. Liberhan has been associated as a consultant to UNDP/UNIDO and is presently working as Director India Habitat Centre which has been set up by the Government of India to develop an integrated physical environment in which various professions and institutions dealing with different facets of habitat and habitat-related environmental issues would function, interact, and attempt to resolve habitat related problems in a coordinated manner, and cooperate and collaborate with other national or international institutions. The activities of the Centre include enabling consultative processes between government and civil society for policy formulation on various issues, creating fora for informing public opinion on non-political matters, enhancing public awareness on issues of societal concern including energy, environment, health and urban/suburban concerns creating opportunities for vulnerable groups and to harness the benefit Indian Trade Service of ICT, creating platforms for promoting aesthetics in public art. Prior to joining the Centre, Shri Liberhan has held senior positions of responsibility in Housing & Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), a public sector organization under the Ministry of Urban Affairs and Employment and in the Ministry of Defence Government of India. Shri Liberhan is a Visiting Faculty at Human Settlements Management Institute, New Delhi and has coordinated various seminars and projects including a seminar on sustainable development in association with Thammasat University , Bangkok . He has regularly delivered lectures on penal managerial options in governmental administration at the following institutions:

Dr. AP Singh is an eminent academician and expert in areas of commerce and agriculture and is a UGC research awardee working on issues relating to WTO Agreement on Agriculture and opportunities and challenges for Indian agri-business.