Akshat Medakker at the International Licensing Practice Workshop, Taipei City, Taiwan.

The National Chengchi University (NCCU) organized the International Licensing Practice workshop from November 14-15, 2008 for patent professionals from South East Asia at Taipei City, Taiwan. The workshop was held in association with the Association of the Technology Managers of Taiwan (ATMT), AUTM and other bodies; and focused on commercialization of Biotechnology R&D results, and strategies for Intellectual Property Protection and Licensing in High-tech Industries.

Akshat Medakker, Senior Technology Manager at Sathguru and Coordinator for STEM, participated in the deliberations at this workshop. In his presentation, Akshat highlighted the current technology transfer scenario in India, and the ongoing transition in the focus of public sector research in biotechnology. He gave an overview of the policy changes since the achievement of TRIPS compliant patent regime in 2005. He discussed the approaches adopted by the key federal organizations for promoting greater public-private collaborations for high end research. As part of a discussion panel, Akshat shared his thoughts on patent prosecution and licensing issues in India, and sensitized the audience about the options available before them.