Swadeshi Jagran Manch (Indigenisation Forum), a public interest group that is strongly opposed to multinational corporations has raised a demand to reconstitute IPR Think Tank. The think tank was formed by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in November to formulate a National IPR policy and advice on IPR issues. The group alleges conflict of interest amongst members as the body of think tank is dominated by representatives of multinational companies. Giving examples of the Convenor of the Think Tank Y K Sabarwal, an ex WIPO bureaucrat, is the Convenor of the IPR Committee of FICCI and Prathiba Singh who appears for telecom and pharmaceutical multinational firms, group says this membership in the think tank compromises its neutrality. The said allegations were pointed out in a letter to Minister of Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman. The letter further stated that conflict of interest would act as a barrier to draw a National IPR Policy that effectively addresses the development needs of the nation. Moreover criticising the draft IPR policy recently released by the think tank, it said it undermines the technological progress in areas necessary for revival of manufacturing sectors and asked the ministry to direct the reconstituted IPR think tank to identify the suboptimal flexibilities in the national IPR regime and make recommendation to optimise the use of flexibilities to facilitate technology dissimilation. The gLAWcal Team LIBEAC project Monday, 01 April 2015 (Source: Pharma Biz)