The India IP Office, which has witnessed significant development in the last five years owing mostly to remarkable initiatives of the Officers at the helm of affairs, is all set to get a new successor.
On 14th November 2014, the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) issued a notice inviting application for the post of Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks(CGPDTM), Mumbai under the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion.
The tenure of current Controller Mr. Chaitanya Prasad is soon to end and a lookout for his successor is on. Mr. Prasad is an IAS officer who also worked as the Joint Secretary, DIPP (Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion) before his appointment as CGPTDM.
Mr. Prasad’s tenure witnessed some remarkable reforms with the objective to clear huge backlogs and upgradation of technology. He issued many office orders to reorganize the functioning of the Trade Marks Registry with directions for constitution and reconstitution of several departments with defined responsibilities and functions. He also took care of number of pending requests for assignment, transmission or registered user agreement and directed hearings of at least 200 requests in a month. He also encouraged agents and applicants to file online applications so that errors may be avoided and the application process is expedited.
Before Mr. Prasad the post of CGPDTM was held by Mr. P H Kurian who is known for his reformist movement in the field of IP and is considered as one of the boldest Controllers so far. His tenure as the CGPTDM saw major reforms and changes, specifically in the Indian Patent Office, which brought Indian IP laws in consonance with the world. His bold measures increased transparency and efficiency and helped the Indian Patent Office to comply with International standards.