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In a landmark program that created a precedent at the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC), Heather Watts and Kavita Ramamoorthy, lawyers specializing in intellectual property matters, discussed the intricacies of the subject, its implementation and implications in Canada. The participation of members of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) was unparalleled in its intensity and involvement.

Both the lawyers are partners at Deeth Williams Wall LLP, a Toronto law firm that has helped clients develop, protect, acquire and commercialize all types of intellectual property since 1994. Trademark, copyright, patent are examples of intellectual property; it is, unquestionably, one of the most significant assets of any business. Like a business’s goodwill, it may be intangible, but its value is extraordinary. Acquisition and protection of your business’s intellectual property is critical.

The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) brought two experts on the subject to conduct an interactive session on intellectual property. The session brought an unprecedented opportunity for the ICCC members to learn about the various forms of intellectual property, when and how to obtain it and how your business can benefit from it.

Kavita Ramamoorthy	Heather Watts
Arun Srivastava	Devika Penekelapati

Kavita kicked off the discussion on the subject by providing an overview of the subject and the different ways in which intellectual property is defined and used in the world of business. Kavita’s area of practice focuses on patent litigation, particularly in the pharmaceutical field. Her practice includes litigation management, preparation of expert evidence and both oral and written advocacy. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 2003. In addition, she holds a B.Sc. in Pharmacology and a PhD. in Toxicology.

In addition to being a lawyer, Kavita is a Registered Canadian Patent Agent and Trade-mark Agent. She is listed as one of the Top 250 Women in IP globally in the 2016 Edition of Managing Intellectual Property – IP Stars and is listed in The Best Lawyers in Canada 2017 in the field of Intellectual Property Law.

Devika Penekelapati, Vice President, Programs and Events, ICCC, introduced the speakers and the evening, and Arun Srivastava, President, ICCC, gave introductory remarks where he spoke about the forthcoming programs of the Chamber, including the ambitious Canada-India Business Forum that is being planned for June 2017.  ICCC directors including Abubakkar Noohujohn, Pappur Shankar, Sanjay Brahmbhatt were present at the event, along with several committee members and past directors.

This research is investigating the needs of skilled, internationally trained immigrant entrepreneurs, to determine whether existing services meet their unique needs, and to make recommendations in order to make these programs more supportive of skilled, internationally trained immigrants. It is meant for entrepreneurs supported by ICCC's services (both immigrant and non-immigrant) within Mississauga, the City of Niagara falls and Picton. The survey is open to anyone who has started a business or has considered starting a business and is 18 years of age or older. This survey would take approximately 20 minutes to complete and all participant information will be kept strictly confidential. The link to the survey is below:

https://ryersontrsm.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_9HSvUcDAkE05bPD 

From airports to e-commerce, Canadian institutional 

This analysis by Indulal PM and Arjit Barman was originally published in the the Economic Times on February 7, 2017

Stephenson also invited suggestions from the Chamber’s directors while informing them that altogether nine rounds of negotiations had already been concluded, and substantial progress had already been made on both side. He said both the governments have recently reengaged each other to complete the agreement on a priority basis.

It may be recalled that last year Minister Chrystia Freeland and Minister Nirmala Seetharaman had held a high-level meeting in Ottawa and Toronto to scrutinize the progress of the negotiations and identify the issues that were proving to be the stumbling blocks in arriving at a consensus. Since then, both sides have been trying to understand their and the other side’s perspective.

Mr. Stephenson said the challenges in finalising the agreement continue to be real and present, but what has changed is the understanding that both governments have developed over these issues, and a renewed commitment to resolutely move forward to arrive at a consensus on all pending issues.

Mr. Arun Srivastava, President ICCC, who had been a witness to the negotiations between Ministers Freedland and Sitharaman, recommended an incremental approach to the agreement to move forward. The sectors where both countries do have agreement can be finalised first and the sectors with more challenges can be put on the side to move forward.

India Mission 2017 

High-powered meetings dominate India Mission 2017 final leg 

After successful first leg of India Mission 2017, the delegates reached Bengaluru to conduct a series of high-powered meetings with important political decision makers from the length and breadth of the Indian subcontinent. Arun Srivastava, President, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) led the delegation from Bengaluru and initiated in-depth discussion on promoting trade and commerce, and exchange of knowhow between Canada and the Indian states. 

Bengaluru, Karnataka

 ICCC President Arun Srivastava greets India's Minister of State for External Affairs Gen. VK Singh (Retd)

General V K Singh (Retd.), India’s Minister of State for External Affairs welcomed the delegates and said that the Indian government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is promoting its relations with the foreign countries. He said that there is a need to promote the bilateral relations between Canada and India. The visit of Indian Prime Minister followed by other cabinet ministers was a step in this direction.

Among the important political functionaries that the delegation met include the Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Devandra Fadnavis; Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal, Puducherry, V. Narayanasamy. The Maharashtra Chief Minister invited delegates to invest in Maharashtra. He said the state is the leading investment destination in India because of the infrastructure facilities. The Assam Chief Minister invited India Mission 2018 to visit Assam and explore Assam as a business and investment destination. Chief Minister said that the state is a leader in producing the organic products and would like to increase its market and looking forward for partnership in improving the quality of the products. The Chief Minister of Puducherry said that the state is being promoted as a tourism destination, because the state offers natural beauty and a French colonial culture, unique in India.

The India Mission delegates also met Priyank Kharge, Karnataka’s Minister of State IT, BT and Tourism. The meeting with the minister was successful. He briefed the ICCC delegates regarding the new start-ups in India. The state government is working in close coordination with the union government to transform Karnataka into a business friendly state. He said Bengaluru is a hub for the Information technology sector and now the state is promoting it in biotechnology and as a tourist destination as well.

Mr. Ashish Khare, General Manager & Business Head, System Integration, Wipro Smart Cities briefed the India Mission delegates. The Wipro team made a presentation that demonstrated smart cities products. Wipro is working closely with CISCO, the largest provider of smart city technologies in the international market. Indian government also pledged to develop one hundred smart cities so the scope for smart cities and its allied technologies is accelerating.  

Subsequently, the delegation met the Mayor of Bengaluru, Ms. G Padmavati. She said that the city is working on a Housing project for low income and poor people. She welcomed the investment in the real estate in the city.  

Ahmedabad & Gandhinagar, Gujarat

 Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi at the Vibrant Gujarat 2017 summit in Gandhinagar

India Mission 2017 delegates actively participated in Vibrant Gujarat 2017 in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, where Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce was a partner organization. The mega event was inaugurated by the Prime Minster of India Mr. Narendra Modi. During the Vibrant Gujarat summit, the India Mission delegation also met Canadian Minister Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities.

The India mission delegation met the Indian Defence Minister Mr. Manohar Parrikar and Chief Minister of Gujarat Mr. Vijay Rupani in Ahmedabad. Both the leaders welcomed the Canadian delegation. They offered help to Canadian investors to start projects. The Government is easing the way to do business in India and wanted to promote the FDI in all the sectors. Defence Minister Mr. Parrikar said that the Indian government has opened up the defence sector as well for FDI so the Canadians can invest in the sector. The final meeting at Vibrant Gujarat was with Mr. Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Panchayati Raj, Government of India. The minister discussed the cooperation in the agriculture sector to make it more environment friendly without compromising on the yield. ICCC delegates also met Mr. Gautambhai Navalchand Shah, Mayor City of Ahmadabad.

Delhi

  Meeting with Mr. Kalraj Mishra, Minister of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Government of India

The final stop in the seven-city itinerary was Delhi, where the India Mission delegates met Mr. Kalraj Mishra, Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India. The delegation discussed the scope of collaboration in the MSME sector as it is the backbone of both the countries. The minister has shown  interest in the Canadian technology and would like to visit Canada for exploring the cooperation or possibility of joint ventures between the two countries.

In the last leg of the business mission the Canadian High Commissioner H. E. Nadir Patel hosted a dinner reception for the visiting Delegation at Canada House in Delhi. 

Davinder Bhatia

A) Third Party Training Grant The Job Grant will provide direct financial support to individual employers who wish to purchase training for their employees. It will be available to small, medium and large businesses with a plan to deliver short-term training to existing and new employees, and will: Provide up to $10,000 in government support per person for training costs. Require employers to contribute one-third of the total costs. There will be additional flexibility for small businesses to provide an in-kind contribution towards their share of the costs. Require training to be delivered by an eligible, third-party trainer. Customized Training pilot will assist in the development and delivery of firm-specific training solutions that meet employers’ workforce development needs, where no such training exists. B) Hiring Students Canada Summer Jobs is a Government of Canada initiative. It provides funding for not-for-profit organizations, public sector employers and small businesses with 50 or fewer full-time employees to create summer jobs for students between the ages of 15 and 30. Application deadline January 20, 2017.  It covers up to 50% of Min wage and 100% for Not for Profits. The period for hiring start from April 17 to July 16, 2017 and must finish by Aug 26 2017 so that students can go back for studies. Grants of Hiring grant for Post-secondary Grads in 2017 which provide up to 50% of their payroll to a maximum of $14000-20000.

Davinder Bhatia is a IMA Certified Member with Fortis Business Solutions Limited  

ICCC member Mukund Purohit honored with 2017 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award  

Mr. Purohit receiving the Award from His Excellency Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, President of India

His Excellency Shri Pranab Mukherjee, President of the Republic of India, today conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2017 (PBSA), the highest honour bestowed on non-resident Indians, by the Government of India on Mr. Mukund Bhikhubhai Purohit at a grand ceremony held at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Mr. Purohit said that, “The award is a great honor for me and it is a recognition of my work for promoting Canada India bilateral commercial ties and philanthropic contribution in the Canada-India corridor. He further said that he will continue his work for the promotion of business relations between the two countries.