Centre for Intellectual Property Rights (CIPR) and Centre for Child and Woman Studies (CCWS), Himachal Pradesh National law university organised a Two-Day International Multidisciplinary Conference on the topic: Women & Intellectual Property: Accelerating Innovation & Creativity in association with the Himachal Pradesh Council for Science, Technology, and Environment (HIMCOSTE). The Conference was held from 26th-27th April 2023 for celebrating the World Intellectual Property Day in symphony with the theme of the World Intellectual Property Organisation.
Professors of international repute from renowned educational institutions from across the world and India graced the inaugural ceremony of the session in the HPNLU, Shimla campus at Shimla. During the conference, various aspects of women and their contribution to the field of intellectual property were discussed. 80 participants from 30 institutions from across the world participated and presented papers during the conference through the online and offline medium.
In the inaugural session, Prof. Enrico Bonadio, Reader, City, University of London, Prof. M.K. Bhandari, Director, GALTER, and Prof. (Dr.) V.C. Vivekanandan, Vice-Chancellor, Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur discussed the issues of representation of women in the field of IPR. In the inaugural address. Prof. (Dr.) Nishtha Jaswal, Vice-Chancellor, HPNLU, Shimla highlighted the need for enhanced gender parity in the field of IPR.
A total of 6 Technical Sessions were organized by the Centre during the Conference and further, renowned academicians from India chaired the sessions. During the first day of the Conference, a Plenary Session was organised in which the resource persons discussed about Geographical Indications with special reference to the State of Himachal Pradesh and also discussed how women play an important role in their promotion.
Further, a special Round-Table Consultancy (RTC) was organised by the Centre for Intellectual Property Rights to discuss how research projects in the field of IPR within the State of Himachal Pradesh could be undertaken by the University.
In the Valedictory Session on 27 April, 2023, Prof. Megan Carpenter, Dean and Professor of Law, UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law (Guest of Honour), Prof. (Dr.) Lisa P. Lukose, Professor of Law, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (Keynote Speaker), Shri Lalit Jain (IAS), (Former) Member Secretary, Himachal Pradesh Council for Science, Technology & Environment (Guest of Honour), and Prof. (Dr.) M.K. Bhandari, Director, GALTER (Chief Guest), and were present through the online and offline medium. They discussed and highlighted different aspects of role of women in the field of IPR.
Prof. (Dr.) Nishtha Jaswal in her valedictory address highlighted the nuances of the conference and discussed some of the common points discussed during the technical sessions. In her address, Prof. Megan discussed about the participation of women in the field of IP & the issue of gender disparity across vertical hierarchy of institutions of I.P. in the U.S. and across the world. Prof. Lisa highlighted the impact of IP in the life of women and how IP can be used as a tool of economic empowerment. Prof. Bhandari discussed the basic ideas for the improvement of women in the field of IPR, while Shri Lalit Jain discussed about IP, in general, and the role of lawyers in the growth of access to IP rights for women.
The Conference was organised by Dr. Chandrika, Director, CIPR and Dr. Chandreshwari, Director, CCWS in association with the Himachal Pradesh Council of Science, Technology, and Environment. Prof. S.S. Jaswal, Registrar, HPNLU, Shimla delivered the vote of thanks.
