Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'India and the U.S. should sort out their differences amicably' that was published in Newsband

India and the U.S. should sort out their differences amicably

India and the U.S. are having differences over intellectual property rights (IPR). This can affect the economic relations between the two countries. India may lose the chance of being considered as a Priority Foreign Country (PFC) by the U.S. It is possible that U.S. might impose trade sanctions. The two countries should sit together, discuss and sort out the matter. India should present its case effectively to counter the pressure from the U.S. lobbies.

The uproar created by the US in the name of IPR is the well planned strategy to protect the profit making interest of its business lobby. US is creating pressure over India instead of defending its case in World Trade Organisation and this shows the ill intentions of this powerful nation. India shouldn't bow down against US and should give reply with equal intensity and tell US that those intellectual they are defending - most of them belongs to India or are of Indian origin.

India systematically needs to use a combination of its judicial and parliamentary processes in order to keep US economic aggression on the backfoot. This requires a concerted strategy from India on several fronts. Modi’s government should work towards sorting out this difference with the U.S. amicably.

To be innovative today is a key to be powerful tomorrow. Patent encourages innovation and ensures protection of State. WTO guarantees protection through IPRs along with flexibilities. The flexibility helps nation prioritize and choose greater good for humanity. India used these flexibilities twice during the past. It is difficult to understand as to why the U.S. didn’t like this.  However, any decision which will severely affect the economic relations must be avoided. U.S. must open up and understand India’s position. India’s role must be acknowledged by the U.S. and it should not resort to arm-twisting.

If the U.S. felt that India was doing something wrong why didn’t it present this case before WTO? Clearly it appears that US knew that taking India to WTO would be a futile exercise as India was working by the book. The question is whether US is bullying India so as to produce a warning effect on other countries?