Need For IPR Regime In Remote Sensing Data Industry In India

MB Divya, Symbiosis Law School, Pune

INTRODUCTION

Satellites have opened the doors to a new space age that has enabled people to catch a glimpse of not only the planet they live in but also other celestial bodies in the Universe. The reason for capturing pictures of Earth is to unearth resources that are beyond the reach of human vicinity that can prove to be quite resourceful for economic, social, and scientific development. The remote sensing data is instrumental in making decisions pertaining to climate change, deforestation and disaster management etc and also achieving 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development1. The Government has recently opened the gates for private entities to enter the industry. This article deals with the issue of lack of relevant Intellectual Property Rights (hereinafter referred as “IPR”) Regime in the wake of privatisation and the impact it could have on the potential investors. Keeping that in mind, the article is divided into three parts- the first part deals with the contrasting ideals of Remote Sensing Data (hereinafter referred as “RSD”) and IPR, the second part deals with the areas in Remote sensing data where IPR could possibly be applied and finally the current Indian legal scenario pertaining to RSD industry and need for systematic laws pertaining to IPR.