Copyrights
Delhi HC decodes the copyright and design conundrum
Intellectual property laws provide protection for some works under both copyright and design law. At the face of it, the law on this point seems rather clear. However, interpretation of Section 15 of the Copyright Act in conjunction with the definition of “Design” under the Design Act makes it…
Intellectual property cross-overs in the real and fantasy worlds
Have you wanted to visit the Maclaren’s Pub or Central Perk and live your moment from How I Met Your Mother or Friends? Have you wanted to taste the Bertie Bott’s Every Bean Flavour from the Harry Potter Series or wished the Bat Mobile was real?! I’m sure we all have wanted to live or rather…
Rajnikanth's personality rights - It's only his. Mind it!
Celebrities in India (particularly actors and film makers) have become extremely vigilant of their rights. There has been a considerable increase in the number of cases requesting for John Doe orders, recognition of celebrity rights and the number of trademark applications for the name of famous…
Can food recipes be protected under intellectual property?
Ever wanted to know the recipe for your favourite dish in a restaurant? Or wished that you could make Pringles at home? They wouldn’t be special or in demand anymore if you could do make it by yourself! This got me thinking on the best ways to protect food recipes and prompted me to write this…
Don’t mess with the wrestlers! – WWE awarded an injunction and damages against unauthorised distributors in India
If you are a wrestling fan, you would have definitely heard of John Cena, Randy Orton, The Rock, Cm Punk, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, The Great Khali, Rey Mysterio, HHH, Edge etc. As a fan of these mega stars, you would have purchased many merchandise to be more like them and also would have made…
How to protect your music or art in India?
YouTube is filled with videos of people (budding artists!) singing songs of their favourite artists in their own style and giving it their personal touch or artists who are remixing songs. In the first scenario, it would be a most likely be cover version of the original song since the singer is…
Assignment of Copyright in India
There have been too many copyright issues in the recent times, either between the producer or the director of the film with regard to ownership of copyright or between say, a scriptwriter and the director. This got me thinking about the rights of the different people who contribute toward making a…
Copyright on Architectural Works in India - A weak foundation?
Copyright law never ceases to surprise us with its complex yet interesting issues that affect our day to day lives. About a week ago, the IP world was flooded with news that pictures of the Eiffel Tower taken at night would amount to infringement of copyright, however pictures taken during the day…
Intellectual Property Law for Fashion designers
The Fashion Industry is an Intellectual property intensive industry as it is that industry that involves continuous creation of new and innovative ideas that are commercially exploited. If you just look at your reflection in the mirror, you will find that you are literally wearing “ Intellectual…
Copyright for script writers – Don’t copy, just write!
“I could not afford to go to Delhi just to register my script” says Mr. Gopi, a script writer who recently filed a suit against the “Kaththi” director Murugadoss accusing him of stealing his script. I watched this very interesting interview of his where he says that he’s met with the director…