Part of the General Studies-III question bank for OPSC (OAS) Mains.
A comprehensive, topic-wise practice set of 7 questions on Intellectual Property Rights & Traditional Knowledge for OPSC (OAS) Mains General Studies-III. 5 of them have been set in an actual paper — the years and exams are printed against each (2024, 2019, 2015, 2014, 2013). The rest are practice questions on the same syllabus points.
Previous year questions
| No. | Question | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What is the present world scenario of intellectual property rights with respect to life materials? Although, India is second in the world to file patents, still only a few have been commercialized. Explain the reasons behind this less commercialization. | UPSC Mains GS-III 2024 10m,150w |
| 2 | How is the government of India protecting traditional knowledge of medicine from patenting by pharmaceutical companies? | UPSC Mains GS-III 2019 — |
| 3 | India's Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) which has a database containing formatted information on more than 2 million medicinal formulations is proving a powerful weapon in the country's fight against erroneous patents. Discuss the pros and cons making this database publicly available under open‑source licensing. | UPSC Mains GS-III 2015 — |
| 4 | In a globalised world, intellectual property rights assume significance and are a source of litigation. Broadly distinguish between the terms – copyrights, patents and trade secrets. | UPSC Mains GS-III 2014 — |
| 5 | Bring out the circumstances in 2005 which forced amendment to section 3(d) in the Indian Patent Law, 1970. Discuss how it has been utilized by Supreme court in its judgment rejecting Novartis patent application for "Glivec". Discuss briefly the pros and cons of the decision. | UPSC Mains GS-III 2013 — |
Practice questions
| No. | Question | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Identify the significant IPR issues presently confronting India. Suggest global best practices that India could embrace to mitigate these challenges. | — |
| 7 | Enumerate the hurdles India faces in enforcing Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) laws. Also explicate the measures needed and regulatory laws related to them in India. | — |