Need For A Central Database System Of Trademarks

A need for a centralized database system of trademarks of licensed drugs is being felt by the Drug Controller General of India to check the menace of drugs with similar names in the market.

The trademark of a drug is the identity by which consumers know it. The Intellectual Property office has a complete database of trademarks already registered from where the status of an application for a trademark can be found. But generally pharma companies tend to market a drug first and apply for the trademark registration later. This coupled with absence of coordination between controllers of different states in ensuring not to give license to drugs with similar trademarks for manufacture and marketing is resulting in a chaotic situation at the Trademark Registry.