PASIGHAT, 21 Nov: Altogether 46 farmers, artisans and weavers from Mongku, Sibo, Rasam, Yapgo, Gune, Balek, Kelek, Tikra and Boying villages participated in an awareness programme on the role of intellectual property rights (IPR) in protecting the indigenous knowledge system (IKS), conducted by the NERIST at Sibo village here in East Siang district on 21 November.
During the programme, Dr G Pangging elaborated the concept of IPR and “application of important tools of IPR, such as trademark, industrial design, copyright, trade secrets and plant breeders’ right and their relevance to handicraft, handloom, etc, agricultural crops, folk songs, etc, of the tribe.”
Niraj Rai spoke on the importance of geographical indications (GI) and the procedure of filing for GI in India, while Jayanta Gogoi dwelt on the National Biodiversity Act, 2002, and the role of the NBA, the SBB and the BMC in protecting the IPR related to traditional knowledge system.
Sibo resident Tangir Tamut highlighted the important aspects of the IKS of the Adi tribe and emphasised on protecting the IKS through GI, copyright, plant breeder rights, etc.
He emphasised on “GI tagging of Adi handloom and handicraft and patent of medicinal formulation of potential medicinal plants for protection of the important IKS.”
The programme was organized under the National Mission on Himalayan Studies-sponsored project titled ‘Documentation of indigenous knowledge system of selected major tribes of Arunachal Pradesh and relevance of intellectual property rights to indigenous knowledge system’ (www.ipr4iks.com), the NERIST informed in a release.
Besides Dr Pangging, Prof CL Sharma and Prof MB Sharma of the NERIST’s forestry department were the resource persons.
