IPR Facilitation

Introduction to Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) facilitation

About: Department of Telecommunications (DOT) IPR Facilitation Portal is designed for innovators to explore the department’s comprehensive support resources. The department through its R&D arms TEC, TSDSI, C-DOT have streamlined processes to support your Intellectual Property Rights needs in the realm of 5G & Beyond.

Why: Focus on Intellectual property (IP) becomes utmost important for researchers working on advanced equipment especially in 5G test lab environment. In today’s dynamic and knowledge based industrial environment IPRs are key elements needed to maintain the competitive edge. It is important that the R&D community, Scientists and Engineers need to be aware of the basic concepts and rules of IPR and its implications in their day-to-day activities.

Enabling policies:

The National IPR Policy 2016, encompasses all IPRs into a single vision document setting in place an institutional mechanism for implementation, monitoring and review of IP laws.

The Indian National Strategy for Standardisation (INSS), acknowledged the importance of developing a comprehensive ecosystem for standards development in India by adopting the best international practices and creating a response mechanism to meet the standardisation challenges.

National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) emphasizes on creating globally recognized IPRs in India, developing Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) in the field of digital communication technologies, promoting Indian IPR through active participation in standard development processes and fostering an Intellectual Property Rights regime that promotes innovation.

What is IP:

Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. Creation & ownership of IPR is a source of national wealth and mark of an economic leadership in the context of global market scenario. IPR facilitation enables such creations and innovations in the form of intellectual property.

Read more about IPR:

Support offered:

Stages of Innovation Support

Who can avail the benefit:?

Startup/MSMEs/Domestic Companies

Academia- Student/Faculty

Technology Areas: 5G/6G/Quantum etc.

FAQ Section: Ask Expert:

Have questions or need assistance? Our dedicated support team is here to help. Our team of experts will help in various aspects of IPR and in innovations in the 5G domain write to

Nodal Contact:

C-DOT: cdotiprhub@cdot.in

Read more about IPR:

IP is protected in law by way of following instruments relevant to telecom domain viz.

1. Patents : It is a limited right granted by the state to an inventor in respect of an invention to exclude any other person from practicing the invention i.e. manufacturing, using or selling the patented product or from using the patented process, without due permission. Inventions in all fields of technology, can be patented whether they are products or processes, if they meet the criteria of

Novelty - Invention not known to public prior to claim by inventor. Novelty (newness) in an invention depends upon the state of prior art, i.e., the existing knowledge and similar inventions already known in the particular field. There will be no novelty, if there has been prior publication and prior use of same or an identical invention. In other words, the invention must involve any innovation or technology which has not been anticipated by publication in any document or used in the country or elsewhere in the world before the date of filing of patent application. The subject matter must not have fallen in the public domain.

Usefulness (Industrial application): The invention, besides being new and non-obvious, must also be useful. If the invention cannot be put to any beneficial use of the mankind, it cannot be patented.

Non-obviousness (inventive step): The invention must be non-obvious to a person skilled in the art to which the invention relates to.

2. Copyright: Copyright protects literary and artistic works e.g. Books, lectures, dramatic and musical works, choreography, cinematography, drawings, paintings, architecture, sculpture, photographs, illustrations, maps, plans sketches, computer programs etc.

3. Registered designs: Registered Designs protect the external appearance of a product. They do not give any protection for technical aspects or functionality. They include new patterns, ornaments and shapes.

4. Trademarks: A trademark is a distinctive sign, which identifies certain goods or services as those produced or provided by a specific person or enterprise which distinguish them from products or services provided by competitors. The system helps consumers identify and purchase a product or service because of its nature and quality, indicated by its unique trademark, which meets their needs.

5. The semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout Design Act, 2000: The semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout protection, provides protection for semiconductor IC layout designs. SICLD Act is a sui-generis (one of its kind) specifically meant for protecting IPR relating to Layout-Design (Topographies) of Semiconductor Integrated Circuit.