Summary
The I-HIPP organised a conference and moot court in Bangalore to commemorate the late Hitesh Barot, a respected in-house IP counsel. The event featured three sessions focusing on innovation, the role of intellectual property, and Indian Patent Office practice. A highlight was the Hitesh Barot Memorial Moot Court Competition, which examined issues of patent anticipation, inventive step, and compliance with section 8 of the Indian Patents Act. Esteemed industry leaders attended, and the moot provided valuable insights into legal reasoning and advocacy. The conference offered a comprehensive overview of current developments and challenges in the Indian IP domain.
I-HIPP Event in Memory of Hitesh Barot
The In-House Intellectual Property Professionals Forum (I-HIPP), an IP think tank and advocacy group, conducted a conference and moot court competition at the ABB campus, Bangalore, in memory of Hitesh Barot, a leading in-house IP counsel. The event was held on March 6, 2015.
Hitesh Barot served as Senior IP Counsel and Former Vice President of Technology Policy at General Electric (GE). His career began at McCutchen Doyle Brown & Enersen in California, where he worked for approximately seven years. Before joining GE in 2011, he served at Intel as Director of Global Public Policy in India and California. He subsequently moved to the Centre for Ethical Life & Leadership to advocate for change in the online voter registration system. He passed away tragically on May 21, 2015 in an accident at the River Narmada near Bhalod, his native village in Gujarat.
Event Structure and Themes
The theme of the event was Innovation in and for India and Role of Intellectual Property. The proceedings comprised three sessions. The first addressed A Road Map for Companies in India to Move Up the Innovation and IP Value Chain. The second was the Hitesh Barot Memorial Moot Court Competition. The third session examined Indian Patent Office Practice — Opportunities and Challenges.
Notable attendees included G N V Subba Rao, Managing Director of ABB Global Industries Services Ltd.; Sreenivas Prasad, Vice President and CEO of Philips India; and Dr. Raj Hirwani, Head of URDIP and President of LES, India.
Moot Court Competition
The moot court competition was presided over by Dr. Modak and Ms. Vinita Radhakrishnan, with a panel also comprising Mr. Somashekar Ramakrishna. The fictitious case was Ashustosh v. Controller of Patents, concerning mechanical equipment used in gymnasiums. Participants representing the Applicants were Sandeep M Hegde and N S Kanmani; those representing the Patent Office were Rajni Mishra and Naveen K M.
The issues presented to the participants were:
- Whether claim 1 is anticipated based on US 5997447 and US 5135456.
- Whether claim 1 lacks inventive step based on US 5997447 and US 5135456.
- Whether merely informing the patent office of a US application filing fulfils the requirement of Section 8(1).
The participants representing the Applicants were given the first opportunity to present their submissions on patentability. The participants representing the Patent Office responded with opposing arguments. The team representing the Applicants was ultimately adjudged the winner by audience vote.
Disclaimer
This article is for general information and does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult a qualified attorney before acting on any matter discussed here.