India Roundtable Discusses Ways to Keep Pace with Innovation, Data Privacy

Lively discussions about two hot-button intellectual property (IP)-based issues-innovation   in IP and the future of personal data in the shadow of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)-took place at a roundtable hosted by Anand and Anand in Bangalore, Karnataka, India on September 28, 2018. The Future of Intangibles roundtable drew IP professionals from the region and was moderated by M.S. Bharath, Senior Partner at Anand and Anand.

To start, each of the eight speakers laid out their thoughts on how artificial intelligence has changed the landscape of technology and how it would influence innovation moving forward.  

From there, speakers noted that the regulations and legislation that impact IP in India have been lagging behind the pace of the fast-moving innovations occurring in the area. They urged timelier legislation and policy change in India that would benefit innovators.  

The roundtable transitioned into a discussion on the strength and enforceability of GDPR, and how innovators, industry, and government need to collaborate in crafting effective legislation to protect personal data. While some speakers advocated for sweeping protection of personal data, others pushed back, asking where the line should be drawn between personal and publically available data.  

The speakers were Smitha Chandrasekharaiah, Director, Legal, QUINTILES (India); Dr. Senthil Kumar, Head, Intellectual Property, ABB India (India); Puja Malhotra, Senior Attorney, Intel (India); Dr. S. K. Murthy, Director of IP, Intel India (India); Dhananjay Ramakrishnappa, SDE, Microsoft (India); Kumar Ranganathan, Technology Strategy Advisor (India) ; Dr. Vijay Sarathy, Senior IP Counsel and Leader, South Asia, General Electric (India); and Dr. Ravi Tumkur, IP Counsel, Philips Intellectual Property & Standards, Philips India Ltd (India).