This discussion paper “Innovation and Intellectual Property in India’s ICT Sector” consolidates and provides a perspective on the key insights from a roundtable discussion held on 9th of March, 2018 at Ahmedabad. Representatives of several stakeholders critical for innovation in a globalising economy – government, industry, industry associations, academia, legal fraternity and bilateral organisations – participated in the discussion.

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the discussion at the roundtable and highlight the perspectives of different stakeholders with respect to Intellectual Property (IP), in particular patents, and innovation in the Indian ICT sector. This is done in the context of developments relating to IP and innovation in the Indian economy as a whole, across sectors. However, the paper does not provide a comprehensive analysis of relevant issues with regard to innovation and IP in India’s ICT sector. It is hoped that this preliminary effort would initiate a meaningful discussion on the relationship between IP and innovation at various levels across stakeholders.