Sound Board

Our thoughts and views on the practice of Intellectual Property in India and around the world.

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 which came into effect recently on August 1, 2024 has garnered significant attention across the country. The Act, having brought amendments to various Acts of our legislation, including those related to Intellectual Property (IP) and media laws among others, primarily aims to decriminalise the provisions – aiming to shift from punitive measures like imprisonment to more lenient penalties such as fines and pecuniary penalties.

Recently, a troubling trend has emerged where scammers are impersonating reputable law firms, pretending to be partners or representatives to defraud individuals and businesses. Their modus operandi involves targeting people with fake "legal notices" sent from email addresses that closely resemble legitimate ones, or through WhatsApp accounts using photos of the firm's partners as display pictures. By employing these deceptive tactics, they falsely accuse individuals or businesses of violating…

In today’s age, brand protection is of utmost importance. Now more than ever, people recognize the value of protecting their brands even beyond the jurisdiction of their home country. While the process of securing trademark protection across multiple countries can appear onerous, the Madrid Protocol streamlines this process. The Madrid Protocol is an international trademark system that enables a trademark to be protected in several countries with a single application. As of date, a trademark…

The Indian patent landscape has seen a significant shift with the recent amendments to the Patents Rules. As of March 15, 2024, the Patents Amendment Rules, 2024 have introduced a crucial change: patent owners now need to file working statements (Form 27) every three financial years instead of annually. This adjustment is a welcome relief for many patent holders who previously had to submit detailed reports on the working of their patents every year.

The Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks (CGPDTM) is now grappling with a significant challenge following a judgment passed by the Calcutta High Court in the case of Visa International Ltd vs. Visa International Service. The judgment has cast doubt on the legality of orders and decisions made by the Trade Marks Registry over the past two years. What started as a quick fix to address the long-standing staff shortage at the CGPDTM has now turned into a full-blown…

In a recent judgment in the case of Arijit Singh v. Codible Ventures LLP and Others, the Bombay High Court addressed a legal dispute of infringement of personality rights through the use of AI. Personality rights, which holds the protection of an individual's identity, privacy, and dignity, are foundational to safeguarding personal independence in both physical and digital worlds. The boundaries of these rights are being pushed in new ways as AI systems now have the ability to create believable…

Unfortunately, even when Applicants submit evidence dating back to the claimed date of use, the Learned Examiners/ Hearing officers often raise objections regarding the same during the Examination stage. One of the most common objections raised during show cause hearings is regarding the acceptability and validity of the evidence submitted, wherein despite most documents being acceptable as per the relevant provision of law, they are frequently being deemed inadequate by the Hearing officers.

One of the key provisions of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property pertains to priority applications, which allows trademark applicants to claim priority in a member country based on an earlier application filed in the home country. This principle, known as priority right, enables applicants to secure their rights more effectively across borders, ensuring that their subsequent filings in other member countries benefit from the original filing date of the home country…

In a recent decision, the Delhi High Court addressed a petition challenging the abandonment of a patent application for a "Blind-Stitch Sewing Machine and Method of Blind Stitching." The petitioner sought to restore the patent application on the account of misconduct and negligence by their Patent Agent which resulted in their patent application being abandoned. Justice Pratibha M. Singh who had presided over the case, emphasized the need for a Code of Conduct for Trademark and Patent Agents to…

Recently, we had a case wherein our Client’s IR application was provisionally refused by the Indian Registry due to the existence of an already registered identical mark. We are well aware that there are circumstances where identical/ similar marks are registered by honest users at times, however, this case seemed to be different. Upon perusal of the conflicting application, the mark (which was identical to our client’s, who is a leading business entity in foreign jurisdiction but was yet to…