Switzerland has maintained intergovernmental relations with India for quite some time. This includes bilateral dialogue on intellectual property. In addition, a bilateral free trade agreement containing a substantial chapter on intellectual property came into force on 1 October 2025.

Switzerland and India laid the foundation for regular exchange on all important issues in the area of intellectual property with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) (PDF) in 2007. The dialogue is a forum for exchanging experience among the responsible authorities and promotes collaboration in the international and multilateral area.

Within the federal administration, the IPI is responsible for the bilateral dialogue and conducts this in collaboration with the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Swiss companies can submit their questions regarding the protection of their IP in India to the IPI, for example regarding patent protection or trade mark registrations. The IPI will then discuss these with its partners in India. In addition, industry representatives have the opportunity to participate in a Stakeholder Roundtable on IP, where they can address their concerns directly to the relevant Indian authorities.

Now that the free trade talks have been concluded, Switzerland has resumed its bilateral dialogue with India on intellectual property, which had been suspended during the negotiations. An initial meeting is set to take place in spring 2026.

Ursula Siegfried

Deputy Head of International Trade Relations

Tel. +41 31 377 72 40

ursula.siegfriednot shown@ipito make life hard for spam bots.ch

Lars Olberg

Legal Advisor, International Trade Relations

Tel. +41 31 377 72 04

lars.olbergnot shown@ipito make life hard for spam bots.ch