New Delhi, (IANS) : The Indian government has extended the Start-Ups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) scheme for three years till March 2020 to ensure protection of entrepreneurs’ patents, trademark and designs.

The scheme, in force till March 31, 2017, has since been extended for three years, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) announced through a circular here.

“The SIPP scheme aims to promote awareness and adoption of intellectual property rights (IPR) among start-ups. The scheme is inclined to nurture and mentor innovative and emerging technologies among start-ups and assist them to protect and commercialise the same by providing them access to high-quality IP services and resources,” the DIPP said.

Start-ups covered under this scheme will not be required to get a certificate of eligible business from the Inter-Ministerial Board of Certification, it said.

“However, start-ups will be required to give a self-declaration that they have not availed of funds under any other government scheme for the purpose of paying the facilitator/patent agent/trademark agent for filing and prosecuting their IP application,” DIPP added.

In 2016, the government announced several incentives, including tax benefits, under a Start-up India Action Plan.

While the DIPP has empanelled several facilitators for providing IPR-related services to start-ups, the government has decided to bear the entire cost of facilitation for filing of patents, trademarks or designs.

On Tuesday, the Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), in collaboration with the International Trademark Association (INT), started an IPR awareness campaign in schools from one such institution in the national capital.

A Union Commerce Ministry release here said that a programme is being worked out to conduct over 3,500 IPR awareness programmes in schools, universities and industries across the country, including in Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities, as well as in rural areas, along with translating content into various regional languages for a wider reach.