Preface

The development and status of a country is based on the country's intellectual property. The number of patent applications has never been greater and there are several examples that patents have helped support the development of an everincreasing range of technology. However, this success has not given rise to universal satisfaction, either within the immediate circle of administrators and users of the patent system or among the intended beneficiaries of the system more widely in society. Worldwide, the system today faces two big challenges: an internal challenge concerning the actual operation of the system, and an external challenge concerning the policy role and the economic and social impact of the patent system.

This book, *Intellectual Property*, discusses issues pertaining to intellectual property rights, specifically patents and patent-related issues. It considers divergent issues related to patents starting from invention to filing of a patent and the issues that come along with it. The contributing authors come from various countries and backgrounds, thus providing a global perspective of the subject.

The editors of this volume, Sakthivel Lakshmana Prabu and TNK Suriyaprakash, have more than three decades of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, academia, and regulations. They also have several patents to their credit.

The book begins with an introductory chapter, "Introductory Chapter: Acquisition of Intellectual Property Rights in International Markets - Where Do We Start?" by Sakthivel Lakshmana Prabu and Timmakkondu Narasimman Kuppusami Suriyaprakash, which discusses the genesis of patenting and patent-related issues and analyzes the global scenario at length.

Chapter 2, "Patents - Understanding the Facts" by Ojeswini Bondalapati, discusses the nuances of writing a patent application and defending it through examination.

Chapter 3, "Intellectual Property Rights: Bioprospecting, Biopiracy and Protection of Traditional Knowledge - An Indian Perspective" by Bency Baby T and TNK Suriyaprakash, provides information relevant to national and legal rules and policies regarding intellectual property rights. Protection of traditional knowledge and conservation of the rights of local and indigenous peoples to their knowledge and resources are equally important. In this regard, the chapter also discusses the concepts of biopiracy and bioprospecting.

Chapter 4, "Harnessing Traditional Knowledge Holders' Institutions in Realising Sustainable Development Goals in Kenya" by Francis Kariuki, examines the role of traditional knowledge (TK) holders' institutions in the realization of components of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 9 and 16.

Chapter 5, "A Methodology for Evaluation and Distribution of Patent Applications to INPI-BR Patent Examiners: A Case Study in the Electricity Field" by Cesar Vianna Moreira Júnior, Daniel Marques Golodne, and Ricardo Carvalho Rodrigues, discusses the development of a new methodology for evaluation and distribution of patent applications in the field of electricity to the examiners at the Brazilian Patent Office (INPI). It examines the classification of these applications according to the International Patent Classification (IPC) along with the variables corresponding to the volume of data of the application and its complexity for the examination process.

Chapter 6, "Comparative Analysis of Appeal Procedures in the European, American and Brazilian Patent Offices" by Fabio Monteiro dos Santos, Heleno José Costa Bezerra Netto, and Ricardo Carvalho Rodrigues, compares the laws, regulations, rules, and procedures of appeals in the European Patent Office (EPO), the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and the Brazilian Patent Office (INPI), pointing out the main differences between them.

This book is a useful resource for research scholars, students, industrial experts, technologists.

We acknowledge full support of all the contributing authors as well as the staff at IntechOpen for their help in completing this book.

## **Sakthivel Lakshmana Prabu**

Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, University College of Engineering (BIT Campus), Anna University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India

### **Timmakkondu Narasimman Kuppusami Suriyaprakash**

Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics, Al Shifa College of Pharmacy, Perinthalmanna, Kerala, India Section 1
