The government has extended the Startups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) scheme for 3 years till March 2020, to help entrepreneurs protect their patents, trademark and designs. Started initially on a pilot basis in January 2016, the scheme was in force till March 31 this year.It is now being “extended further for a period of three years”, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) said in a circular earlier this month. It is crucial for startups to protect their intellectual property rights (IPRs) in this highly competitive world, it added.