Proposed Intellectual Property

Policy Document

 

GONDWANA UNIVERSITY,

 

GADCHIROLI

 

2018-19

Preamble

Gondwana University, Gadchiroli (hereafter referred to as GUG) is a State University established in the year 2011. In the last few years, a number of new initiatives and issues have arisen, with the enhanced growth in research and development. In view of the experience obtained during this period, in commercialization, incubation, international collaboration, distance education courses and student related issues, it was decided to adopt a policy approach. This document is of the IP Policy for the University.

GUG acknowledges the role of numerous stakeholders in the creation of its Intellectual Property (IP), namely the government, public, researchers, faculty, staff, post-doctoral fellows, research students, postgraduate and graduate students, guest researchers, sponsors, technology transfer units and the national IP offices. Being a University, interests of the various stakeholders have been attempted to be taken care of.

GUG recognizes the importance of innovations and assists in translating them into products, processes and services for both commercial benefits and achieve the widest public good. The features of this IP Policy aim to meet such needs and enable GUG to achieve its vision.

The main IP policy presents the generic position of the GUG. The Inventions related IP Policy relates to patent, design, layout, trademark, bio-diversity and related rights whilst the Expressions related IP Policy provides direction for the Copyright and related rights. Various forms that explain in detail the sub processes, various situations and required documentation will be included as part of the implementation of this policy.

Department of Innovation, Incubation and Linkages
    

 

Contents

 

Sr. No.	Title	Page No.
1	Preface	2
2	Preamble	3
3	Introduction to IPR	5
4	Purpose	5
5	Objectives	5
6	Definitions	6
7	Coverage	8
8	Ownership	8
	Relevant inventions and Ownership	9
	Ownership exemption	9
9	Teaching/Course material	9
10	Courses	9
11	Books, articles and related literary works	10
12	Thesis	10
13	Design Rights	11
14	Trade Mark(s)/Service Mark(s)	11
15	Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs)	11
16	Disclosure	11
17	IP Licensing and Agreements	11
18	Licensing Types	11
19	License Exemptions	12
20	Technology License/ Transfer Options	12
21	Revenue Sharing	13
22	Contracts and Agreements	13
23	Infringements, Damages, Liability and Indemnity Insurance	13
24	Renewal of IP Rights	13
25	Conflict of Interest	14
26	Dispute Resolution	14
27	Financial Support	14
28	Jurisdiction	14

 

Introduction to IPR

The importance of IPR was first recognized in Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (1883) and the Berne Convention for Protection of Literary and Artistic Work (1886).

IPR Regime of India

In India, the patent system is administered by the office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM) under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The jurisdiction of Indian patent system is divided geographically into four regions i.e. Northern Region (Patent Office, Delhi), Western Region (Patent Office, Mumbai), Southern Region (Patent Office, Chennai) and Eastern Region (Patent Office, Kolkata).

For the promotion, development and funding of patent related matters, Government of India has created many bodies e.g. National Research Development Corporation (NRDC), an enterprise of Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR); Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), which is under the aegis of DST; Patent Information Centers (PICs) set up by TIFAC in 20 states of India and Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), a professional body under DIPP.

Purpose

The Union Cabinet has approved the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy on 12^th May, 2016 that shall lay the future roadmap for IPRs in India. The Policy recognizes the abundance of creative and innovative energies that flow in India, and the need to tap into and channelize these energies towards a better and brighter future for all.

The National IPR Policy is a vision document that encompasses and brings to a single platform all IPRs. It views IPRs holistically, taking into account all inter-linkages and thus aims to create and exploit synergies between all forms of intellectual property (IP), concerned statutes and agencies. It sets in place an institutional mechanism for implementation, monitoring and review. It aims to incorporate and adapt global best practices to the Indian scenario.

However, the University recognizes that patentable inventions sometimes arise in the course of research conducted by its faculties and students using University facilities. The authority of the University has determined that patenting and licensing of Inventions resulting from the work of University personnel, including students, is consistent with the purposes and mission of the University. It is against this backdrop; the IPR Cells in various institutions of higher education are established.

Objectives

The objective of this policy document of Gondwana University is to lay down the IP policy. The Principal objectives of GUG Patent and Copyright policy set forth herein are:

a) To foster, stimulate and encourage creative activities in the widest sense in all the areas in which academic, consultancy, innovation, incubation and research programmes that are offered by Gondwana University.

b) To protect the legitimate interest of faculty/scholars/students of Gondwana University and to avoid as far as possible conflict of opposing interests.

c) To lay down a transparent administration system for the ownership and control of intellectual properties and sharing of the revenues generated and owned by Gondwana University.

d) To promote, stimulate and encourage creative activities among the stakeholders of GUG leading to generation of intellectual assets.

e) To provide an all-inclusive single window reference system for all IPR issues relating to the IP generated at the GUG.

f) To safeguard the interest of the inventor/creator of IP and provide fair distribution of returns accruing from the commercialization of IPR.

h) To provide legal support, wherever necessary, to defend and protect IPR obtained by the GUG against any infringement.

 

DEFINITIONS

Assignment: means the transfer of rights or title in the intellectual property in writing.

Budapest Treaty: means the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Micro-organisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure done at Budapest on 28^th day of April, 1977.

Commercialization: means any form of exploitation of Intellectual Property, including assignment, licensing, internal exploitation within the University and commercialization via a spin –off enterprise on India and overseas.

Communication to the public: means making any work or performance available for being seen or heard or otherwise enjoyed by the public directly or by any means of display or diffusion other than by issuing physical copies of it, whether simultaneously or at places and times chosen individually, regardless of whether any member of the public actually sees, hears or otherwise enjoys the work or performance so made available.

Confidential Disclosure: means an agreement between disclosing and recipient parties, or a term in a Research Contract or License Agreement.

Copyrightable Materials: Copyright and Copyrightable materials are as defined in the Indian Copyright Act. These shall include the following in original:(1) books, journal articles, texts, glossaries, bibliographies, study guides, laboratory manuals, syllabi, tests, and proposals;(2) lectures, musical or dramatic compositions, unpublished scripts;(3) films, filmstrips, charts, transparencies, and other visual aids;(4) video and audio tapes or cassettes; (5) live video and audio broadcasts;(6) programmed instructional materials;(7) research notes, research data reports, and research notebooks; and (8) other materials or works other than software which qualify for protection under the Indian Copyright Act, 1957.

Copyrighted work: means  literary, scientific and art works including academic publications, scholarly books, articles, plant varieties and includes inventions, technologies, developments, improvements, materials, compounds, processes and all other research results and tangible research properties, including software and other copyrighted works.

Creator(s): means the faculty, staff, and other persons employed by the University whether full or part-time; visiting faculty and researchers; and any other persons, including students, who create intellectual property using University resources.

Design: means only the features of shape, configuration, pattern, ornament or composition of lines or colours applied to any article whether in two dimensional or three dimensional or in both forms, by any industrial process or means, whether manual, mechanical or chemical, separate or combined, which in the finished article appeal to and are judged solely by the eye; but does not include any mode or principle of construction or anything which is in substance a mere mechanical device, and does not include any trade mark as defined in clause (v) of sub-section (1) of section 2 of the Trade and Merchandise Marks Act, 1958 or property mark as defined in section 479 of the Indian Penal Code or any artistic work as defined in clause (c) of section 2 of the Copyright Act, 1957.

Educational Materials: means the content and associated tools and technologies for delivery of content, including materials developed for traditional “face to face” classroom courses, as well as other delivery methods such as Internet web/based delivery or other distance learning media. For the purposes of this Policy, Educational Materials do not normally include works such as textbooks, articles, papers, scholarly monographs, or artistic works produced in the normal course of academic scholarship.

High Court: in relation to a State or Union territory, means the High Court having territorial jurisdiction in that State or Union territory, as the case may be.

Intellectual Property: means work related to Patents, Trade Marks, design, Copyright, Industrial designs, trade secrets, plant varieties and includes inventions, technologies, developments, improvements, material compounds, processes, and all other research results and tangible research properties, including software and other copyrighted work.

Intellectual Property Rights (IP Rights): means ownership and associated rights relating to intellectual property including patents, designs, trademarks, topography rights, know-how, trade secrets and all other intellectual or industrial property rights as well as copyrights, wither registered or unregistered and including applications or rights to apply for them and together with all extensions and renewals of them, and in each and every case all rights or forms of protection having equivalent or similar effect anywhere in the world.

Inventor: means the researcher who contributed to the creation of the Intellectual Property.

Invention Disclosure: means a written description of an invention that is confidentially made by the inventor to the University.

Inventive step: means a feature of an invention that involves technical advance as compared to the existing knowledge or having economic significance or both and that makes the invention not obvious to a person skilled in the art.

Know-how: means the knowledge, innovations, practices, expertise, processes or procedures, and secrets of individuals regarding the use of a material, product or resource, or the practice of a method, for a particular purpose.

New invention: means any invention or technology which has not been anticipated by publication in any document or used in the country or elsewhere in the world before the date of filing of patent application with complete specification, i.e. the subject matter has not fallen in public domain or that it does not form part of the state of the art.

Original: in relation to a design, means originating from the author of such design and includes the cases which though old in themselves yet are new in their application.

Patent: means a patent for any invention granted under Patent Act.

Patent and Patentable material: Patent and Patentable materials are as defined in Indian Patent Act. These include discoveries and inventions of new products and process.

Publication: means a public enabling disclosure of an Invention, and may be verbal or printed. Printed publications include abstracts, student theses and, in certain instances, grant proposals.

Research Agreement: refers to research Service Agreement, cooperative research and Development Agreement, material Transfer Agreement, Confidentiality Agreement, Project development Agreement, Joint Development Agreement by two or more or multiple Institute, Consultancy agreement and any other type of agreement concerning research pursued by Researchers and intellectual property created.

Researcher: (a) person employed by the Institute or University, including student employees and technical staff. (b) Students including graduate and postgraduate student of the university and institute. (c) any person including visiting scientist, Professor who uses the resources of university, Institute in India or overseas and who perform research work at University or Institute  in any research project.

Spin-off: means a company established for the purpose of exploiting Intellectual Property originating from the Institute.

University Research: means any research or development activity which is undertaken by the University, or which is related to duties and responsibilities for which a person is compensated by the University, or which is conducted with substantial use of University facilities, or resources.

University Resources: means all tangible resources provided by University to Creators, including office, lab, studio space and equipment; computer hardware, software, support; secretarial service; research, teaching, and lab assistants; supplies; utilities; funding for research and teaching activities, travel; and other funding or reimbursement. “University resources” do not include payment of regular salary, insurance, or retirement plan contributions paid to, or for the benefit of creators.

Visiting Researcher: means an individual having association with university without being a student or employee. Visiting researcher includes academic visitors and individuals with honorary appointments.

Visual recording: means the recording in any medium, by any method including the storing of it by any electronic means, of moving images or of the representations thereof; from which they can be perceived, reproduced or communicated by any method.

 

Coverage

This policy on Patent and Copyright is applicable to all the GUG Personnel viz students, faculty, staff, researchers, both full and part time, including faculty and students, and other related ones.

This policy, as amended from time to time, shall be deemed to be a part of the conditions of employment of every employee, including student employees, and of the conditions of enrollment and attendance by every student at the institution. Upon prior written agreement between persons and the University, these policies may be applied to persons not associated with the University who make their inventions and original works available to the University under circumstances where the further development and refinement of the inventions are compatible with the research programs of the institution.

The IPR cell of the GUG shall act as the nodal agency for processing all the IPR related matters of GUG addressed in this policy.

Ownership

The IP policy has to be accepted and signed by all GUG Personnel. GUG owns all the Intellectual Property (IP) that is produced by all GUG personnel. GUG reserves the right to apply for IP protection in India/throughout the world/specific countries for suitable protection of the IP generated.

Gondwana University shall be the owner, with the creators specially stated as inventors for all the intellectual property inventions, software designs and specimens created by the creators who include faculty members, research scholars, students and those who make use of the resources of Gondwana University.

The Inventions created by Gondwana University personnel, without using Gondwana University resources and created outside their assigned/normal duties/areas of research/ teaching shall be owned by the creators and the revenue generated out of such creations shall be shared in the ratio of 75:25 between the creator and Gondwana University respectively.

If an IP has emerged as a result of an Institutional/Industrial consultancy, sponsored to Gondwana University, the concerned industry and Gondwana University shall own the IP. This however will not apply to those IP that are covered under specific MoU’s where the action shall be carried out as per the provisions of the MoU’s. If the IP is a result of funds sponsored by an outside agency, then the IP will be shared between Gondwana University and the sponsoring agency on case to case basis and as per MoU / Agreement / Undertaking between Gondwana University and the outside agency.

A computer software may be patented, copyrighted, trademarked depending upon the IP content. A copyright software may be distributed for research and teaching purposes by its creator after obtaining appropriate undertaking to the effect that it will not be used for commercial purpose nor it will be transferred to any other party without explicit permission of the Gondwana University.

IPR cell will coordinate the activities of evaluating, protecting, licensing and managing the IP generated by Gondwana University. Further, it shall provide guidance to all Gondwana University personnel and facilitate protection and deployment of intellectual property issues of ownership, confidentiality, suitable advice from experts, disclosure, patentability and transfer.

An invention will be patented only if it has commercial value and viability for production and marketing.

Relevant inventions and ownership

Under this policy, title to such inventions including software where applicable, designs and integrated circuit layouts and patentable subject matter that are created in GUG with the use of significant GUG resources are assigned to and owned by GUG, regardless of the source of funding, if any. All inventors/creators are required to ensure that an “inventors agreement” is filled at the time of submission of an invention disclosure to GUG. This agreement would among other aspects, include ratio of sharing any revenue received from commercialization of the said technology amongst the GUG inventors/creators. Absence of such an agreement will be considered as equal sharing amongst the GUG inventors/creators.

Ownership exemption

The possibility of exemption to ownership is given in the following cases and GUG reserves the right to revise these exemptions on a case to case basis.

1. If the inventor/creator is not related with GUG.

2. If the inventor/creator has not used significant resources of GUG. The inventor(s) / creator(s) are to submit the lack of using significant resources for exemption purposes.

3. If GUG is not interested to take forward the disclosed invention/creation towards IP protection or through prior specific agreement.

In case of GUG not protecting an IP, the inventor(s)/creator(s) are provided with the permission to protect the same in countries of their choice.

Exemption to ownership is given in the following cases and GUG reserves the right to revise these exemptions on a case to case basis. Copyright being present by default on any material being created, the policy provides the following ownership exemptions to the various creations that occur as part of GUG personnel’s activities. The copyright ownership is treated separately for the various creations identified.

Teaching/Course material

1. GUG acknowledges that the author is the owner of teaching materials created for teaching purposes during author’s engagement with GUG.

2. As most of the course content is created cumulatively and in order to enable a wider usage and distribution of the teaching materials created, GUG by default gets a license to the copyright and all other rights of the content created by the creator for fair dealing under academic and research context.

3. GUG is not liable for any of the copyright violations by its personnel for the content created. The author is expected to carry out due diligence in the course of content creation.

Courses

1. GUG course materials and academic course materials have different copyright clearances.

2. The content and the materials created will be owned by the course creator. Note that that the course creator, course instructor and course coordinator could be the same individual or independent.

3. The course creator is expected to get the relevant copyright clearances for the course materials used.

4. GUG owns the course structure, course outline and promotional materials created for any of the courses for any application or use.

5. GUG is not liable for any of the copyright violations by its personnel for the content created. The author is expected to carry out due diligence in the course of content creation.

Books, articles and related literary works

GUG encourages its personnel to spread knowledge by way of books, technical articles etc. which are seen as various ways in which vision can be achieved. In this respect, GUG does not claim ownership of copyright on books authored by GUG personnel. In cases where the books are related to the multiple research groups/faculty teaching the course in the college, it is expected that the interested author shall get the relevant no objection certificate from co-authors / other contributors. Use of GUG logo on any personal publications by the faculty/staff/student is prohibited. In cases of Institute designated works and other works like the content development programme, the ownership rests with GUG. Students who wish to publish their thesis, prior to submission for an academic degree, as a book or any other type of publication are required to seek a prior written approval from GUG.

Thesis

1. The student is the original creator of the thesis, fine-tuned with relevant contribution of the supervisor(s) and the copyright authorship rests with the student creator.

2. The ownership is jointly held by the student creator and the supervisor(s) concerned. The supervisor(s) can waive off their joint ownership if desired. Relevant forms will be made available for such waivers.

3. The supervisor(s) is required to sign off at the time of the thesis submission, indicating the commercial/potential commercial/ no commercial value of the work concerned.

4. GUG reserves the right to identify potential IP generated through the submitted thesis and protect such identified IP before displaying the thesis in public domain. GUG gets a non-exclusive, non-commercial license for the display and use of the thesis for academic and research purposes.

5. In the case of a thesis resulting from external funding, the joint ownership of the thesis extends to the external supervisor(s). Pending any specific agreement, the IP and Copyright policy of GUG will be applicable by default in such cases.

6. Both the student and the faculty supervisor(s), where applicable, have the right to first refusal for any further adaptations and other derivative work that is intended to be done by either of the parties. They are given three months’ time from the day the official request is submitted, to exercise their right to refusal. The official request should include at the minimum, from the adaptations identified.

7. Failure to respond within the time duration of three months will be deemed to be an acceptance of the proposal presented. Either party can approach GUG towards the resolution. The Director of I. I. and L. of the GUG shall oversee the formation of a panel for a resolution process.

8. Irrespective of any agreement, GUG reserves the right to use the thesis for educational and research requirements. GUG may not prefer the use of Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA) for its thesis evaluation.

9. GUG gets an automatic right to display the thesis in soft and hard forms.

Design Rights

The design right for a created component (physical or graphic, any dimension) follows the IP inventions policy as indicated in the succeeding section.

Trade Mark (s) / Service Mark (s)

The logo of GUG would be the trademark of the Institute. It is to be noted that the logo of GUG cannot be used on any of the private communication of any of the GUG personnel. Official activities that are part of the officially recognized bodies, web pages hosted on the GUG domain, project websites and reports in which the concerned is a project member, student thesis are allowed by default to have the GUG logo.

The usage of the GUG logo, GUG name in full or partial for all other activities has to get the due approval of GUG.

Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs)

This agreement is of relevance to activity which requires a physical material access for research. GUG follows a material transfer agreement aligned with its academic and research needs. The MTA is used for both GUG to provide a material to any other external party and also to request any material from external agency.

Disclosure

GUG encourages timely disclosure of all potential IP/Inventions/Innovations generated    (conceived or reduced to practice in whole or in part) by members of the faculty or staff (including research staff, doctoral students, students and visiting scholars) of the University in the course of their related activities.

IP Licensing and Agreements

GUG understands the legitimate commercial needs and the security required in the form of IP especially for breakthrough technologies. GUG strives to balance this critical requirement against the primary goal of academic and research dissemination leading to a practical usage of the technologies being developed.

The licensing is done by GUG through IPR cell, which handles the evaluation, marketing, negotiations and licensing of the entire University owned IP.

In certain cases, GUG might use the services of a third party for licensing the technology developed, under mutually agreed terms and conditions with such party, within the framework of the GUG IP Policy.

Licensing Types

The type of license provided will depend on the nature of the invention/innovation. GUG, being a state funded University, encourages non-exclusive licensing towards wider deployment of innovations being developed at the Institute.

Licenses are provided to a company and not to an individual. License may be limited to that particular IP in discussion and not to its enhancements or modifications. Licenses provided are subject to periodic review including the working status and accessibility/availability of the IP used. Based on the review of the licensing activities, GUG reserves the right to extend, modify or terminate the type of existing license provided.

License Exemptions

In case of both the inventor(s) and external party(ies) requesting for the license of the same GUG owned IP at the same time, preference for licensing may be provided to the inventor(s) based on the nature of technology amongst other considerations.

Irrespective of the license provided, GUG retains the right for research exemption and experimental use for patents, design rights and a fair use of copyrights and trademarks having an objective of academics and enhancing research. This will include the right to publish, use of technical data, the method, product and related services that has resulted from earlier research which has been licensed for the activities mentioned earlier.

In the case of inventions by its faculty/students/research scholars/other GUG Personnel under lien/sabbatical/visit/internship, GUG exercises the right to the access of such IP created for the sole purpose of academic work and research under research exemption and fair use, being conducted within its jurisdiction. The stakeholders are encouraged to disclose the invention through appropriate invention disclosure form (IDF) of such developments during their external stay.

Technology License / Transfer Options

GUG recognizes the inventor(s)/creator(s) as a key component for successful commercialization process. GUG shall use the succeeding options to utilize the IP generated. Licensing may be made either directly to third parties or through incubation or through licensing agents. It is to be noted that the IP generated would preferably be licensed and not assigned. GUG reserves its march-in rights in the case of assigned IP. Any licensing done by GUG will be on an, as is where is basis.

Technology licensing: This would be as per the current policy and revenues earned will be shared with the inventor(s) in a 70:30 ratio. The 70% due to the GUG inventor(s) will be distributed as per the separate inventors’ agreement entered into between the inventors. In the case of multiple GUG inventors, the default inventors’ royalty share is done on an equal basis in the absence of an alternate revenue sharing agreement.

• Nature of license (exclusive, non-exclusive or transfer of knowhow) will be based on the nature of the technology developed and on any prior contract governing the IP to be licensed.
• Exit time review of the earlier license provided would determine the future mode of license.
• Exclusive licensing provided after exit from GoCiBe will be subject to periodic review based on various measures.
• For IP involving multiple inventors, a No-objection Certificate (NoC) from all the inventors concerned is a necessity for an exclusive license to be considered. In the absence of NoCs from all the concerned, a non-exclusive license ONLY will be provided to the requester (s).

If GUG has not been able to commercialize the creative work in a reasonable time frame, the creator(s) may approach the Pro-Vice chancellor and the Registrar for the assignment of rights of the invention(s) to them.

Revenue Sharing

Net earnings from the commercialization of IP owned by GUG would be shared as follows:

1. The inventor(s)/creator(s) share would be declared annually (or as revenues are received) and disbursement will be made to the inventor(s)/creator(s), their legal heir, whether or not the inventor(s)/creators are associated with GUG at the time of disbursement.

2. The revenue sharing ratio between the inventor team and GUG will be a fixed at 70:30 in favour of the inventor team. IP protection costs will be part of the license revenue sharing agreement between GUG and inventor(s).

3. Where applicable and when GUG reassigns the rights of the IP to its creator(s) for any country, the cost and revenue sharing will be governed by a separate agreement between GUG and the inventor/creator(s).

4. The inventors may at any time by mutual consent, revise the distribution of IP earnings agreement.

Contracts and Agreements

All agreements including but not limited to the following categories, for activities undertaken by any GUG personnel need to be approved by the GUG.

1. Confidentiality Agreement / Non-disclosure Agreement

2. Consultation Agreement

3. Evaluation Agreement

4. Research and Development Agreement (R&DA/MOU)

5. License Agreement

6. Technology Transfer Agreement

7. Alternative Dispute Resolution Agreement

8. Collaborative MOU with University / Organization

Registrar/Director (I. I. and L.) acts as the final signing authority in all categories of agreements listed above.

Infringements, Damages, Liability and Indemnity Insurance

GUG shall, in any contract between the licensee and GUG, seek indemnity from any legal proceedings including without limitation manufacturing defects, production problems, design guarantee, upgrades, debug obligations and the content created. The policy also supports the need to indemnify GUG personnel built into the license agreements for sponsored research and consultative work. GUG shall retain the right to engage in any litigation concerning its IP and license infringements.

Renewal of IP Rights

A decision on the annual renewal of IP rights will be taken by the Institute. If GUG decides not to renew the IPR in any country, then it may assign the rights of the IP in that country to the creator(s) based on a request to that effect from the creator(s) and an internal review. In all cases, where IP rights in any specific country have been reassigned to the inventor(s), GUG shall not claim any share of such proceeds earned through that IP in that country excepting for the costs already incurred by GUG.

Conflict of Interest

The inventor(s) are required to disclose potential conflict of interest while undertaking any IP related activity. If the inventor(s) and/or their immediate family have a stake in a licensee or potential licensee company, in the event they are required to disclose the stake they and/or their immediate family have in the company. A GUG license to a company in which the inventors also have a stake and management role shall be subject to the approval of the Registrar taking the above consideration into the fact. All GUG Personnel shall be bound by the conflict of interest related policy/guidelines of GUG as applicable from time to time.

Dispute Resolution

In case of any disputes between GUG and the inventors/creators regarding the implementation of the IP policy, the aggrieved party may appeal to the Registrar of the GUG. Efforts shall be made to address the concerns of the aggrieved party through the appointment of a committee of experts and the verdict of the Director (I. I. & L.) is final.

Financial Support

Under the aegis of Board of Research, a policy is also formulated to extend financial support of Rs 20,000 and 10,000 to researchers for filing patent and copyright/geographical invention and others respectively.

Jurisdiction

All agreements to be signed by GUG will have the jurisdiction of the Gadchiroli in the state of Maharashtra and shall be governed by applicable laws of India from time to time.