The Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics and the Centre for Intellectual Property Research and Advocacy at the National Law School of India University are organising a roundtable on ‘Two Decades of Product Patents in India‘ on January 10, 2026.

Please note that the roundtable is open to the public. Participation in the Roundtable sessions is by invitation/registration only. Register here to attend.

About the Roundtable

The WTO Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) came into effect on January 1, 1995. As per Art. 27 of the TRIPS Agreement, patents shall be available for any inventions, whether products or processes, in all fields of technology, provided that they are new, involve an inventive step and are capable of industrial application. Some of the developing countries, including India, were not granting product patents in some areas like pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, at the time of signing of the agreement. In fact, many scholars have pointed out that the specific exclusion of product patents in the area of pharmaceuticals in the Patents Act 1970 has contributed substantially to the blooming of generic pharmaceutical companies in India, and thereby also making India a pharmacy of the world. However, as a signatory to the TRIPS Agreement, India was forced to reintroduce product patents in the area of pharmaceuticals. By virtue of Article 65.4, India got 10 years to comply with the TRIPS requirements in this regard, and the Patents (Amendment) Act, 2005, India made the necessary changes in this area.

As the year 2025 marks 20 years of India re-introducing a product patent regime in the area of pharmaceuticals, the half-day roundtable seeks to review in detail the key changes that may have happened in the area.

Schedule

I. Introduction by Dr. Arul George Scaria (Professor of Law, NLSIU) | 9.30-9.35 am

II. Session 1 | 9:40-11:00 am
Moderator: Dr. Arul George Scaria
Panellists:
(i) Ms. Jayashree Watal (Former Counsellor, WTO) – Historical Perspectives
(ii) Ms. Vindhya S. Mani (Partner, Technology Law Division, Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan, Attorneys, Bengaluru) – Approach of the Judiciary
(iii) Dr. Kalyan C Kankanala (Managing Partner, BananaIP Counsels) – Approach of the Patent Office

III. Tea Break | 11.00-11.30 am

IV. Session 2 | 11:30 am – 13:30 pm
Moderator: Bhanu Tanwar (Assistant Professor of Law and Co-Director, Centre for Health Law and Ethics, NLSIU)
Panellists:
(i) Ms. Archana Jatkar (Associate Secretary General, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance) – Industry Perspectives
(ii) Mr. K. M. Gopakumar (Senior Researcher and Legal Advisor, Third World Network) – Civil Society Perspectives
(iii)Dr. Zakir Thomas (Founding Project Director, OSDD) – Innovation within the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry

V. Vote of thanks by Bhanu Tanwar