By Raju Vernekar
Mumbai, Jan 19:
Indian Army has obtained Intellectual property Rights (IPR) of the design and camouflage pattern of its newly introduced Camouflage Pattern Dress to prevent its unauthorised proliferation.
The new ‘Digital Pattern Combat Uniform’ was unveiled by the Chief of Army Staff during Army Day 2022. The copyright of the design is with Indian Army for 10 years extendable by another five yrs. This has been done to prevent unauthorized vendors from manufacturing and selling the combat pattern dress in the open market as it was posing a serious security threat for the Indian Army and the Nation as a whole, an official statement read.
The 12-lakh strong Army completed the process for registration of the new camouflage pattern and design to establish ownership, to the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademark, Kolkata. The registration was published in the official journal of the Patent Office vide Issue No on No 42/2022 dated October 21, 2022, as per the statement.
The exclusive IPR of the Design and Camouflage Pattern now rests solely with the Indian Army, and therefore manufacturing by any vendor who is not authorised to do so will be illegal and is liable to face legal repercussions, the statement added.
In order to promote creation of IPR, in the defence sector, an IPR (IPF) Cell has been set up in the Department of Defence Production to provide general advisory about IPRs, such as patents, trademarks, designs and copyrights among others.
The bulk procurement of 11.70 lakh digital uniforms will cater to Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO) and Other Ranks (OR) as part of individual kit (Life Cycle Concept with life of 15 months) and is likely to commence from August 2023.
A total of 50,000 sets have already been procured through Canteen Stores Department (CSD) and delivered to 15 CSD Depots across the country. The new uniform will be made available in a phased manner to the personnel of the Indian Army. Additionally, workshops to train civil and military tailors in stitching the new uniform as per the specified design are also being organised in coordination with instructors from the NIFT at Delhi.
In collaboration with the civil authorities and police, Headquarters Maharashtra, Gujarat & Goa Area has proactively disseminated the above information to all the vendors in all states under its Area of Responsibility.
The combat uniform
Uniforms are one of the most distinctive identifying features for any military force. With the new unique camouflage pattern, Army retains the combination of the same colours — olive green and earthy shades — with the touch of digital pattern now. Further, it has been designed keeping in mind the many kinds of operational conditions that the soldiers function in, from deserts to high-altitude areas, jungles and plains.
Designed by a team of 12 people at the (NIFT), the combat uniform has been created through a collaborative process with the Indian Army, keeping in mind the “4Cs” — comfort, climate, camouflage, and confidentiality. The fabric of the uniform was selected out of five options curated specifically for the Army by NIFT, and the finalised pattern was one of the 17 options that were specially designed.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) also unveiled the new disruptive pattern combat uniform designed by NIFT, on its 90th foundation day on October 8, 2022.
