A supply chain is a network of facilities and distribution options that performs the functions of procurement of materials, transformation of these materials into intermediate and finished products, and the distribution of these finished products to customers. Can the ever expanding patent regime be brought within the strategic as well as lucrative confines of this system? How shall this patent supply chain be managed? Does it strictu sensu fall within the ambit of being a supply chain? Such intriguing questions can be clarified by the concept of Knowledge Chain Management. Knowledge Chain as the name suggests takes us a step closer to redefining the aspect of Knowledge Economy in a nation like India. In this regard it is thus pertinent to note that the Indian Patent System is still in its nascent stage and not as exhaustively worked upon like the U.S. patent laws. Why is our patent system slow? Simply because we aren’t familiar with the tricks of operating a patent monopoly. Our Patent and Trademark office is not as functional as its counterpart in the U.S. This is also because of the number of patents being excruciatingly low. To invigorate this process we need to create a supply chain of the knowledge of the Intellectual Property System in India and make it a working effective model. Like any supply chain the Knowledge chain has its stages of procurement to production and distribution. To comprehend the suggestion better we must lend a kind eye to a model in which the premiere institutions of technology (Indian Institute of Technology) take the responsibility of the conception of the idea and research on the patent, then once the patentable object is brought forth, the next step is to provide fool proof protection which shall be handled by the legal department (National Law Schools) and finally the commercial viability and marketability of the patent shall be managed by the management experts (Indian Institute of Management). This model essentially propagates twin concepts, one being the involvement of the young and fresh into the development of the Knowledge economy of the nation and the second being the effective bifurcation of work between the three organs so as to maintain adequate separation of powers and identification of proper concentration domain. By “proper concentration domain” I mean effective allocation of work. It is always better if the allocation of work or rather the division of labour is according to one’s area of expertise. The recent development in this area is a highlight. Setting up of IPR cells in various IIT’s is indeed move ahead in terms of developing the Knowledge Economy of the nation. A critical analysis of the existent supply chain system in relation to the said model presents Knowledge Chain as a novel facet of the supply chain system. Though patents are geographical in nature yet emerging concepts of cross-border implementation of patents promise to make them global and hence in the light of such events it is extremely crucial for us to market and preserve our indigenous goods as well as human ingenuity. The emerging corporate value of Knowledge Economy should be kept in mind while the suggested model is implemented first nationally and then globally. This write up thus attempts to integrate the idea of Supply Chain Management with Intellectual Property and create a Knowledge Economy for the nation and worldwide.
