Inaugurating the national convention of company secretaries organised by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India here on Thursday, minister for law, justice and company affairs Ram Jethmalani said the Government would soon bring legislations modelled after the British `Misuse of Computer Technology Act' to regulate the misdeeds conducted over the computer networks. "The Government is on the right course," he said.

He said the law for protecting intellectual property would be put in place soon. "Intellectual property is the greatest asset and we are resolved to protect it," Jethmalani stated, adding that the new legislation would protect intellectual property in "the way World Trade Organisation wanted".

Elaborating on the proposed legislations, Jethmalani said, "The increasing dependence on computers and lack of efficient legal framework was causing anxiety in this area." The Indian Penal Code would be amended to prevent stealing of information and other crimes that are committed over the networks.