By Arun Kumar
Washington, Jan 29 (IANS): India is ranked lowest in the US Chamber of Commerce's 2014 International Intellectual Property (IP) Index, a survey of 25 countries with diverse economies reflected in varying market size, level of development and geography.

Similar to the inaugural index, India continued to score lowest, most notably in categories relating to patents, copyrights and international treaties in the second edition of the chamber's Global Intellectual Property Centre (GIPC) index released Wednesday.

According to a chamber media release, out of every country having been documented in both the 2012 and 2014 GIPC Index, India finished last in both editions, as the country continues to allow for the deterioration of its IP climate.

"Despite its declared competitive agenda to embrace 'Decade of Innovation', India is heading towards the wrong path to undermine all IP rights, stifling India's investment, international trade, and India's own innovative potential," the report said.

"The continued use of compulsory licenses, patent revocations, and weak legislative and enforcement mechanisms raise serious concerns about India's commitment to promote innovation and protect creators," it said.

The report evaluates 30 factors indicative of an IP environment that fosters growth, including protection and enforcement of patents, trademark, copyrights, trade secrets, and participation in relevant international treaties.

Although none of the 25 countries surveyed received a perfect score of 30, the US received the highest score of 28.3, making it the global leader in protecting IP.

However, the US came third after Britain and France in the enforcement category.

China shows improvements in certain aspects of its patent regime. However, its overall IP environment continued to see challenges, particularly with regard to trade secret protection and enforcement, according to the report.