Fostering Originality: Exploring Intellectual Property Rights Awareness among Architecture Students

Today, government and private firms in various sectors like technology, computing, medicine, and genomics need to be aware and careful about protecting their creations. Private businesses in fields such as handloom, garments, and architecture also must stay vigilant about safeguarding their work. This is where the awareness and knowledge about Intellectual property rights (IPR) plays a crucial role. A cross-sectional study was conducted among the undergraduate students of the Architecture Department at Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal. With appropriate sampling, a total of 173 responses were recorded. The data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised 35 questions including 5 for demographic details, and 25 questions relevant to awareness of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). The data thus obtained was analysed using Smart PLS 4. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze categorical variables and Welch’s t-test was used to compare awareness regarding IPRs among undergraduate students. The findings indicate that Architecture students possess an understanding of IPRs however, there's a notable lack of awareness regarding the complete understanding of how the IPR are Procured, handled and other specific details.