India was placed at the bottom in a US survey that ranked countries for their record in protecting intellectual property.
The US Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday (February 10) released its 4th annual International IP Index "Infinite Possibilities," which measured the IP environment in India alongside 37 other economies.
The index, produced by the Chamber’s Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC), found that India’s score was largely unchanged.
"Patent protection in India remains outside of international best practices, and Indian law does not provide adequate enforcement mechanisms to effectively combat online piracy," the chamber said in a statement.
India was ranked second last while Venezuela finished last. The United States ranked first.
The study applauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s effort to improve India’s IP environment but stated that his efforts are yet to translate into action.
"While we have been encouraged by the Modi Administration’s rhetoric to improve India’s IP environment, we have yet to see it translate into concrete action," said David Hirschmann, president and CEO of GIPC.
The index is based on 30 measurable criteria critical to innovation including, patent, copyright and trademark protections, enforcement, and engagement in international treaties, among others.
"The Index was created so that countries around the world, such as India, can hear directly from the business community on the IP-related issues important to them when considering investing in new markets,” said Mark Elliot, executive vice president of GIPC.
Overall, half of the 38 economies improved their total score from last year’s Index, indicating increased recognition of the benefits of intellectual property (IP) and a strong IP system. The 38 economies benchmarked in the 2016 Index accounts for nearly 85 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP).
The Index ranks the economies in Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Peru, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
