The three-day sixth edition of the Global Intellectual Property Convention is scheduled to kick off in Hyderabad on January 16.

More than 600 delegates, comprising IP heads of multinational companies, experts and policy makers from 35 countries, are expected to attend the convention.

With the main theme of ‘Economic Value of Innovation and IPR in Global Market’, the convention will discussed issues covering copyrights, trademark, patents, technology transfer and IPR regimes in different parts of the world, including the European Patent Office, US Trademark Office and Japan Patent Office.

IP heads of companies such as Microsoft, Novartis, Bayer, Hindustan Unilever, Cipla, Dupont and Glenpark will form part of the speakers’ panel, said D.R. Agarwal, Director of ITAG Business Solutions Ltd.

ITAG, the Institute of International Trade and the Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries are jointly hosting the event.

Issues related to filing of patents will also be discussed. “Currently, about 32,000 patents are being filed in India every year, up from 10,000 about 10 years ago. But still there are only 200 official patent examiners in India, while the need is about 1000,” Agarwal told Business Line .

He pointed out that patents filed by private companies still form a small part of the total patents filed in India.

About 83 per cent of the patents filed in the country are those from MNCs. And out of the 17 per cent filed by Indian companies, about 80 per cent are from government-owned research companies. This means less than 5,000 parents are filed by Indian private companies, he said.

>amitmitra@thehindu.co.in