Standards/ TBTs / IPR-Market Access
National Lab Directory launched by BIS – A major breakthrough for industry in the field of testing & measurement
Consumer Affairs Minister launched an online directory, which provides information about Indian standards of various products and testing infrastructure in the country for the benefit of various stakeholders such as start-ups.
There are estimated 10,000 labs across the country. Currently, about 4,500 labs owned by public and private academic institutions are listed on the online directory.
The link for the National Laboratoy Directory is www.labdirectory.bis.gov.in
Consumer Protection Bill 2019 approved
The Indian Parliament has passed the landmark Consumer Protection Bill, 2019 which aims to provide the timely and effective administration and settlement of consumer disputes. Key Highlights of the New Act:
- Covers E-Commerce Transactions
- Enhancement of Pecuniary Jurisdiction
- E-Filing of Complaints
- Establishment of Central Consumer Protection Authority
- Product Liability & Penal Consequences
- Unfair Trade Practices
- Penalties for Misleading Advertisement
- Provision for Alternate Dispute Resolution
Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2019 comes into effect
Nine months after the Central government first notified the draft Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2018 on the 4th of December 2018, the Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2019 have now come into effect through a notification by the Central Government on the 18th of September 2019 in its official gazette. In line with the draft rules, the new rules now primarily entitle the following categories of patent applicants to seek expedited examination of their patent applications:
- Small entities / MSME’s;
- Female applicants;
- Departments of the Government;
- Institutions owned or controlled by the Government;
- Institutions wholly or substantially financed by the Government;
- Government companies; and
- Applicants of those countries whose patent offices are in an agreement / arrangement with the Indian patent office.
In addition to this certain fee will no longer be applicable, giving PCT applicants a reason to be cheerful about.
Commerce Ministry to soon come out with new foreign trade policy
The Commerce Ministry will soon come out with a new foreign trade policy, which provides guidelines and incentives for increasing exports for the next five financial years 2020-25. The Ministry is giving final touches to the new policy as the validity for the old one will end on March 31, 2020. The Ministry’s arm Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) is formulating the policy.
The new policy would focus on simplifying procedures for exporters and importers, besides providing incentives to boost outbound shipments. At present, tax benefits are provided under the ‘merchandise export from India’ scheme (MEIS) for goods and ‘services export from India’ scheme (SEIS).
In the new policy, changes are expected in the incentives given to goods as the current export promotion schemes are challenged by the US in the dispute resolution mechanism of WTO. In this backdrop, the government is recasting the incentives to make them compliant with global trade rules.
DGFT has issued followings trade notices keeping in mind the review of the existing Foreign Trade Policy :
WTO reforms must be taken up by all countries: says India
The time has come to take on the policies of protectionism and unilateral measures by some developed countries that are having an adverse effect on global free trade and if this continues there will be recession in the world and no country will escape it, said Union Minister of Commerce & Industry.
Commerce and Industry Minister urged that all member countries must take up reforms of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and not deal with issues in a piecemeal manner. We cannot afford to walk away from the current system but all member countries of the WTO must re-engage to ensure that the rule-based, transparent, and non-discriminatory governance that free-trade requires is taken forward honestly and in a non-discriminatory manner and keeping in mind the interests of different member countries with disparate GDP. He further stated that the policies of protectionism being followed by some countries in the developed world are affecting engagement between countries for trade in goods, services and protection of investments.