Microsoft India Announces A Dedicated Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Chair In India At Gujarat Law University

Microsoft India today announced that they have established a Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Chair at the Gujarat National Law University (GNLU). Microsoft expects that this new IPR chair will foster continuous research, academic collaboration and capacity building in Intellectual Property laws and policies. Read more about it from the press release below.

New Delhi – 26th February, 2014: For the first time, Microsoft India has established a dedicated Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Chair at the Gujarat National Law University (GNLU). The Microsoft Chair will consist of one full-time Professor, a Research Associate and an Administrative Secretariat along with an Administrative Assistant. The focus will be on capacity creation, development of policy research and thought leadership in IPR laws in India.

Over the next five years, Microsoft and GNLU will develop suitable academic research projects; provide a framework for analyzing the impact of IPR Law and policy on development and growth of the Indian economy and disseminate knowledge and information on IPR Law and Policy through outreach programs in India. In the long run, this initiative also aims to help bridge the gap between university and industry on issues related to Intellectual Property Rights.

Mr. Horacio Gutierrez, Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Microsoft in his message said, “As India continues its development into a knowledge economy, recognition of and respect for Intellectual Property law is critical. We are excited to set up a Chair for Intellectual Property at Gujarat National Law University and believe that it will help drive a significant amount of research in this area. Our ultimate aim with this initiative is to foster continuous research, academic collaboration and capacity building in Intellectual Property laws and policies.”

The Chair has been officially launched on 26th February 2014, Wednesday at Gujarat National Law University by Mr. Jim Banowsky, Managing Director, International Patents. Legal and Corporate Affairs, Microsoft at Redmond, Washington along with Prof. (Dr.) Bimal Patel, Director, Gujarat National Law University. Mr. Vipin Aggrawal, Senior Attorney and Director IP, Legal & Corporate Affairs, Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt. Ltd was also present at the occasion.

The focus of this initiative will be:

Undertaking policy-relevant cutting edge research
Organizing training workshops to deliberate on research and research outcomes
Augmenting the GNLU library with IT-IPR related books, latest research reports, and databases
Participating in national and international workshops/seminars by members of the Microsoft Chair

Prof. (Dr.) Bimal Patel, Director, Gujarat National Law University said: “We view this as an important and impactful initiative that will enable GNLU to promote teaching and research in Intellectual Property Rights. The availability of this funding will augment academic partnerships with the institutions of Governance, judiciary, economy and civil society, thereby enabling us to carry out quality applied legal and interdisciplinary research in various areas. We expect that the creation of the Chair will help us become more competitive and attract the right talent for our academic projects.” he added.

Other Microsoft- Academia Partnerships

In addition to the institution of this IPR Chair at GNLU, Microsoft has in recent years signed other covenants that will bring the company closer to the academic research universe. One of them was in China, with Tsinghua University. Another important partnership was closed with the University of Washington for the creation of a laboratory linking the areas of Law and Technology, establishing guidelines for lawyers and lawmakers specialized in the subject. In December 2013, the University of São Paulo (USP) and Microsoft signed an agreement for the creation of a Technology and Society Studies Centre. The partnership is intended to stimulate local research on relevant issues in the area of technology, and its impact on society.