IPR (Science & Technology).
Syllabus: UPSC Pre GS1: General Science; Mains GS3: S&T developments
GI tags for UPSC: Geographical Indications Act 1999, TRIPS link, registration at Chennai, 10-year validity, famous GI products, UP's ODOP and key…
A PIB backgrounder of 4 August 2026 explains how Geographical Indication (GI) tags protect traditional products and lift producers' incomes. India has over 800 registered GI products, with 607 granted since 2014. Uttar Pradesh leads with 81 GIs (December 2025). Darjeeling Tea was India's first GI. The target is 10,000 GI registrations by 2030.
UPSC angle: Prelims: GI Act; first GI.
4 Aug 2026
CSIR and IP Australia signed an agreement giving Australia's patent office access to India's Traditional Knowledge Digital Library during the 3rd India-Australia Annual Summit in Melbourne on 9 July 2026. TKDL, set up in 2001, holds over 5.2 lakh formulations from Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Yoga. Eighteen patent offices now have access under NDAs.
UPSC angle: Prelims: TKDL.
10 Jul 2026
International design filing would help exporters.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Hague Agreement.
29 Jan 2026
This is a live question for news publishers, musicians and Indian-language creators whose work trains AI models.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Copyright Act, DPIIT. · Mains: regulating AI.
9 Dec 2025
This closes a gap where companies patented products from Indian plants without paying the communities that conserved them.
UPSC angle: Prelims: ABS, Nagoya Protocol.
11 Nov 2025
Public labs often patent and stop; licensing is how inventions reach patients.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Patent Mitra.
4 Sep 2025