Following in the footsteps of their overseas counterparts, Mumbai’s international schools have started protecting school material through copyright.

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To ensure that other schools do not plagiarise their style, several international schools in the city have issued copyrights on school material like stationery, school colours, mascot or logo, website and even customisations in the curriculum and unique mechanised teaching aids.

“We have a trademark on the school logo. However, we do not want to place a copyright on lessons as it should be shared by everyone,” said Abhimanyu Basu, director, Dhirubhai Ambani International School.

Juhu’s RIMS School has not only protected the school logo but also the tag line. “You may use the colours and name, but not in any way that mimics the school’s mascot or logo. A school is a unique legal entity. Colours used on the mascots and logos are all protected,” said Kishore Pillai, principal of RIMS, Juhu.

Similarly, a reputed school in Juhu, has issued a copyright on its ‘unique education process’, developed by the school in 2009. The process, patented by the school, ensures that students stay focused on achieving high academic outcomes.

The school presents the students with situations, which provide multiple career choices, enabling them to choose the best for them. Teachers in this school are accountable for a small group of students.

“High-end private schools are patenting education processes, which are very typical and unique. It may not always be a good thing as education should be universal,” Pillai added.

Some international schools in Bandra have patented softwares like use of ‘interactive blackboards’. Samudra Sen, founder and CEO, learningmate.com, a Mumbai-based e-learning company that has developed the intellectual property in the areas of content-development and standard-based learning technologies and services, said, “A similar patent was filed by an American company for an e-learning method. The patent is certainly going to be an irritant.”

Also, though schools have patents on their taglines, font style, and advertising materials like brochures, but most schools draw the line at stationary.

“It is very difficult to patent stationary as it keeps changing every year. It is troublesome to go through the entire legal process even if we change a word here or their,” said Abha Pal, principal of Utpal Sanghvi School, Vile Parle.