Shocked to hear that the Govt of India is considering relocating Intellectual Property Appellate Board from its principal seat in Chennai. Any...

DMK president M.K. Stalin expressed deep shock and indignation over reports that the Government of India was considering shifting the principal seat of the Intellectual Property Appellate Board, known as IPAB, away from Chennai. Stalin stated that any administrative attempt to move the premier quasi-judicial institution outside Tamil Nadu would be completely unfair, unjustifiable, and prejudicial to the state's commercial and industrial interests. He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene immediately and rescind the proposed relocation to protect Chennai's preeminence as an intellectual property hub.

Stalin highlighted that the IPAB was headquartered in Chennai in 2003 during the DMK's alliance with the Union government, recognizing the city's vast legal talent, industrial ecosystem, and thriving technological innovation. Moving established central institutions away from southern state capitals diminishes regional administrative stature and causes severe logistical inconvenience to patent holders, legal professionals, and innovators across South India. He criticized the state government for failing to preemptively safeguard prestigious institutions situated in Tamil Nadu.

Stalin demanded that Chennai's status as the principal bench for patent and trademark adjudication be permanently preserved. He affirmed that the DMK will resist every effort to dilute Tamil Nadu's institutional prominence.