Published: 3/24/16
Publication: Business Standard
Away from the limelight, a weighty issue is being debated heatedly in Delhi’s telecom circles. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, on March 1 floated a discussion paper on standard essential patents and their availability on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory, or FRAND, terms. Interested people can make their submissions on the subject by the end of the month.
A standard essential patent helps a product, a cellphone in this case, meet a certain benchmark which is set by a standard development organisation. These patents are meant to be made available on FRAND terms – the idea is to protect intellectual property rights while securing the public interest at large.