IP Rights, Technology Transfer and Start-

Start-ups

Case Studies

11/10/2022 Dr. Shashikantha Karinka, NMAMIT 1

 IP Rights, Technology Transfer and Start-
Start-ups
Although Bangla is the seventh most-spoken language in the
world, there was no well-functioning, simple and easy-to-use
software for typing in this language until the late 1980s.

Mr. Jabbar is from a rural village in Bangladesh and would

later attend the University of Dhaka, where he majored in
Bangla Language & Literature. He began his career as a
A keyboard is born journalist in 1972, while still a student. He started a
The main challenge Mr. Jabbar faced was computer business in 1987, but technological limitations
accommodating the hundreds of Bangla were particularly constraining for the printing and
characters, including additional vowels publishing industries in Bangladesh and other Bangla-
and consonants and consonant conjuncts, speaking regions.
within a standard Macintosh keyboard in
a QWERTY layout. In 1999, the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) declared
the date “International Mother
Language Day” in tribute to the
He chose to name his Bangla Language Movement, as
software and keyboard part of a growing recognition of
layout “Bijoy” (Bangla for linguistic and cultural diversity
“victory”) around the world.
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 IP Rights, Technology Transfer and Start-
Licensing
Several licensing contracts have been
signed between Ananda Computers
and a few dozen computer vendors in
Bangladesh who import keyboards
from China with the Bijoy Keyboard
Layout. According to the contract, the
Chinese company produces and
exports the printed keyboards with
the Bijoy layout to Bangladesh and
Mr. Jabbar’s company receives
licensing fees from the vendors for
each keyboard sold. There are also
local keyboard producers who are
interested in using the Bijoy Keyboard
Layout with their hardware.
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Start-ups
The iconic Bijoy Bangla Script Interface System was first protected
as a literary work under copyright law in Bangladesh in 1989. This
was the first time that software had been protected as such. Later
versions were also copyrighted, including the second edition in
2004 and the third edition in 2017.
Thinking in terms of other protection opportunities, Mr. Jabbar
applied to protect the second version of his software using a
patent in 1992. When Mr. Jabbar applied for the patent, there was
not a single person in the responsible department who could
perform the substantive examination necessary to determine
patentability. The patent application was not granted.
Mr. Jabbar did not apply again until 2004, when an official was willing
to take responsibility for the inspection. Following the submission of his
application, it would take another four full years for the system to be
patented. This was monumental and still holds relevance today,
because Mr. Jabbar is the rights holder of the one and only software
patent in Bangladesh.
He registered a trademark for the “Bijoy” logo in
Bangladesh with the Department of Patents, Designs and
Trade Marks (DPDT) in 2004.
In 2018, Mr. Jabbar was appointed as Minister of the Ministry of Post,
Telecommunication and Information Technology in Bangladesh.
Dr. Shashikantha Karinka, NMAMIT 3
 IP Rights, Technology Transfer and Start-
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Innovating Safer Travel
Name: Atri Knowledge Embedded
Infrastructure Lab Private
Limited
Country / India
Territory:
IP right(s): Patents
Date of August 31, 2010
publication:
Last update: September 16, 2015

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 IP Rights, Technology Transfer and Start-
Start-ups
Since 1990, there have been over forty major
accidents on India’s 63,000 kilometer network of
railways that operate over 11,000 trains every day.
After another accident in Mumbai rocked the state-
owned Konkan Railway Corporation (Konkan) in 1999,
something had to be done. “We could not allow
another life handed to us in trust to be lost in
another accident routinely classified as human
failure,” said Bojji Rajaram, then a Konkan managing He designed a device which would be
mounted on trains and stationary objects
director with thirty five years of experience as a
(such as crossing guards) that would
railway engineer. communicate with each other through
radio to accurately assess a train’s
He thought that in the age of instant direction and speed. If a collision was
communication, powerful microprocessors and imminent, the device would initiate
a Global Positioning System (GPS), there must automatic braking that starts three
be some way to develop a fail-safe prevention kilometers ahead of a possible collision
system. point. Determined to put an end to
unnecessary accidents, he gave himself a
“war like target” of ninety days to
produce the first anti-collision device
(ACD) prototype for use with trains.

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 IP Rights, Technology Transfer and Start-
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Anti-collision device (ACD)

How he got the idea implemented:

Mr. Rajaram found that when his grandson
changed direction, the GPS immediately
showed the corresponding change in angle.
He thought that if the GPS is sensitive
enough to detect such a small change in
angle, then a technique could be developed
to use this angle change to mathematically
determine the speed of a train. After a few
weeks, he developed the “deviation count
theory,” which can accurately determine
vital train data such as speed and direction
using GPS data. This innovation led to the
creation of his ACD, Raksha Kavach (RK
ACD), named after a powerful talisman for Mr. Rajaram's ACD system has been
protection. developed for mounting on the front
(top) and rear (middle) of a train and
at a control station (bottom)
(Photo: Bojji Rajaram)
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 IP Rights, Technology Transfer and Start-
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Research and Development
Although Mr. Rajaram developed his deviation count theory quickly, practical
implementation of it in his RK ACD design required considerable research and
development (R&D). Working with renowned scientists and research institutions
throughout the country, Mr. Rajaram spent another six months on R&D in addition to
his regular responsibilities at Konkan.

This innovation led to the creation of his ACD, Raksha Kavach (RK ACD), named
after a powerful talisman for protection.

Patent:
According to an estimate by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, potential royalties from
Mr. Rajaram’s patent applications total US$1 billion.

Mr. Rajaram wanted to have his invention be used for the greater public good.
Therefore he assigned all intellectual property rights of his RK ACD invention to Konkan.
Capitalizing on its new IP, in September 2004 Konkan filed a patent application for the
RK ACD with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and it was granted
in June 2010.

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 IP Rights, Technology Transfer and Start-
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Commercialization
With a success rate of 99.9 percent in preventing collisions, commercialization of the RK
ACD can significantly reduce train accidents in India. To facilitate commercialization,
Konkan grants an exclusive license to Kernex Microsystems (India) Limited to manufacture
RK ACDs. Since its development, the RK ACD network has been installed in trains, guard
vans, stations and level crossing gates on many sections of train lines operated by Konkan
and Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR). It is also installed along with inclinometers (devices
which detect soil movement) to help prevent accidents due to landslides and other
unavoidable natural phenomena.
Commercialization of the technology also has the support of the Indian Railway Ministry.
Because it does not need any complex infrastructure, it can easily be implemented in
almost any railway system in the world. Installed as a network communicating via radio
and GPS, RK ACD networks are especially helpful in preventing collisions in areas where
trains switch tracks.

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 IP Rights, Technology Transfer and Start-
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Business Results
The innovative RK ACD network, made possible through Mr. Rajarm’s deviation count
theory, has met with much success. By 2004, the entire 760 kilometer Konkan line
between Roha, a small town southeast of Mumbai, and Thokur, the southernmost stop on
the line, had been protected with an RK ACD network. It has also been installed on over
1,700 kilometers of NFR track. RK ACD technology has enjoyed significant domestic and
international press, and was featured on the National Geographic Channel. The Indian
government also has plans to assist with the implementation of RK ACD systems on all
railway lines in the future.

Source: WIPO
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 IP Rights, Technology Transfer and Start-
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Using Traditional Knowledge to Revive the Body and a
Community
Name: Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI)
Country / Territory: India
IP right(s): Patents
Date of publication: August 31, 2010
Last update: October 26, 2015

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 IP Rights, Technology Transfer and Start-
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Licensing
Because JNTBGRI is a research
institute, it does not have the capacity
to commercialize any products
resulting from its Jeevani invention.
Therefore it authorized the licensing of
the technology for manufacturing
Jeevani to interested parties. JNTBGRI
established a committee to determine
which organization would be most
suitable for licensing. The committee
chose Arya Vaidya Pharmacy Ltd.
(AVP) of Coimbatore, one of the
largest herbal pharmacies in India, to
be the primary manufacturer, and in Under the terms of the agreement, JNTBGRI
1995 AVP signed a seven year licensing would receive two percent royalties on any
agreement with JNTBGRI and paid a sales of Jeevani products.
US$50,000 licensing fee.

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 IP Rights, Technology Transfer and Start-
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Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden &
Research Institute
Commercialization
Initial commercialization of Jeevani was undertaken by AVP. A unique aspect to the commercialization
process is that the land that the Kani people live on is actually owned by the Indian Forest Department. As
a solution to concerns of the Forest Dept., JNTBGRI pointed out that only the leaves of the plant
needed to be used to make Jeevani, and that several harvests of the leaves could be made from the
perennial plant each year without actually destroying it.

Business Results
Despite the lack of IP protection in major markets such as the United States, Jeevani has been a big
success for JNTBGRI, AVP and the Kani people. Jeevani is now known as the “ginseng of India” and
has been one of AVP’s most successful products. As such JNTBGRI has regularly renewed AVP’s
license to market Jeevani. Perhaps more important, it has made a significant financial impact on the
lives of the Kani people. The Kani have already received financial injections into their community,
and the success of the benefit sharing agreement has led BMC to propose that the license fee be
doubled to US$ 52,000 and the royalty payment also be doubled from two percent to four percent,
which would translate into more financial gains for the Kani.

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 IP Rights, Technology Transfer and Start-
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THANK YOU

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