Delhi University all set to launch new certificate course on patent laws

Delhi University is planning to start a certificate course on patent laws which aims to help students make their research into a "tangible" product and give them the basic knowledge they need to be able to file for patents. The course will likely be in a hybrid manner (both online and offline) and it might be offered multiple times a year.

Patent laws are taught as a part of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) paper at the Delhi University's Law Faculty, and some science courses in the varsity also include a chapter on the topic. The varsity has constituted a committee for framing the syllabus and other modalities for a course on patent laws. The newly-constituted committee is headed by Daman Saluja, Professor at Medical Biotechnology Laboratory, Delhi University’s B R Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research.

Saluja said the course will help the students understand what should be kept in mind while filing for a patent, as many students are not aware of what is patentable and what is not.

"In higher education, there is a lot of research that has a tangible outcome, however, people are not aware of it. How to make their research a tangible product? People do not know about patent rules and patent laws. DU is planning to start a certificate course in this regard that will fill this gap," she added.

“The certificate course will likely be a three-four month programme during which the students will be taught basics about patent laws and what to take care of while filing for the patent,” Saluja said.

In May, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also suggested that Delhi University should start a short-term diploma course on the patent process.