Sound Board

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

Section 11(1) of the Designs Act, 2000, grants copyright protection to a design for a period of ten years from the date of registration. However, if priority is claimed then the registration period is calculated as being ten years from the priority date. Further, as per Section 11(2) of the Designs Act, 2000, a design may be renewed once for an additional period of 5 years anytime within the initial ten-year period of registration

However, the question remains - why has an option for renewal not been provided? Granted, it would ensure fewer instances where the right would have lapsed, and the protection would continue unbeknownst to the authorities (although the right holder must inform customs authority when his intellectual property ceases to be valid or if he ceases to be the owner of such intellectual property right). In this respect, the lack of an option for renewal enables authorities to properly examine the…

The Supreme Court indicated that it was proposing to lift the suo moto extension of the limitation period granted by it on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, with effect from March 15 this year. Following this, on 8th March 2021, the Court passed an order ending the extension of the limitation period.

The Indian Government has recently notified an amendment to the Designs Rules, 2001. The Designs (Amendment) Rules, 2021 (“the Amendment Rules”), were notified in the Official Gazette on January 25, 2021, and are deemed to be in effect from that date.

More often than not, when a “bona fide” proprietor of the trademark (I use the term “bona fide” rather loosely here) finds unauthorized use of their mark by a third party, the first step taken (often) is to send the other party a legal notice. While some legal notices sent/received are convoluted and packed with legal jargon, some are brief and get the message across. A legal notice simply outlines the rights of the sender (“bona fide” proprietor) and cautions the infringing party to refrain…

The three WIPO Agreements have received accession from the Indian Government.[1]The three Agreements were introduced through the WIPO treaties primarily to ease the search for trademarks and industrial designs. In this arena it is significant to understand the prominence of all the three Agreements. A brief understanding of all the three Agreements are as follows:

One of the significant judgements from the recent time is the order of the Delhi High Court in the popular Crocs case. In an order dated March 6, 2019, the Court rejected the maintainability of a suit for passing off, in the case of a registered design. It is important to note here that the Plaintiff had brought this suit after the Court had previously rejected its previous suit for infringement of its registered design, holding that the same was invalid on the ground of prior publication

The accession is expected to instil confidence in foreign investors, applicants, businesses in relation to the protection of their Intellectual Property in India. The accession would also facilitate in exercising rights in decision-making processes regarding review and revision of the classifications under the agreement.

The Indian Trademark Law grant exclusive rights to the trademark owner. The exclusivity here indicates that the trademark owner has the liberty to utilize his/her trademarks without any external interferences. The Indian Trademark Laws grants bundle of rights to the trademark holders and the rights of every trademark owner includes the right to commence and prosecute a legal action against infringement of his/her rights in a trademark. It is important that the action taken by the trademark…

To record an IP right with the Customs, a right holder must submit an application in writing with the necessary documents and information.