Insights
Practical perspectives on protecting, managing and enforcing intellectual property across India and the subcontinent.
3 July 2015
Design Registration in India: An Introduction
Design registration protects the aesthetic appeal of a product, runs ten years extendable by five, and is the fastest IP registration process in India — typically eight to twelve months from filing to registration.
2 July 2015
An Introduction to .IN Domain Dispute Resolution (INDRP)
Disputes over .in domains are resolved by NIXI's .IN Registry under the INDRP. How to file a complaint, the official fees, the arbitration timeline, and the appeal route — a practical primer for reclaiming a squatted .in domain.
2 July 2015
Patent Protection in India: An Introduction
Filing routes, convention priority, examination, opposition and revocation — the framework of Indian patent protection in outline, with the deadlines that have since changed clearly marked.
26 June 2015
Section 3(d) at the WTO: The 'Non-Violation Complaints' Threat
Section 3(d) blocks 'evergreening' by barring patents on new forms of known substances lacking enhanced efficacy — as Novartis found with Glivec. Now the US and Switzerland want to attack it at the WTO via 'non-violation complaints'. What's at stake for India's generics.
26 June 2015
Video Games and Trademarks: Play It Right
Beyond copyright, a game developer must think trademarks — protecting their own game name and catchphrases, and clearing any third-party marks used in the game. How India treats in-game brands, how US law differs (the Rogers test), and the real-world crossover risk.
Durga Bhatt · 23 June 2015
Copyright Myths and Facts: Five Misconceptions Debunked
'It's on the internet, so it's public domain.' 'No © means no copyright.' 'Mailing myself a copy protects me.' Five common copyright myths — and the facts, including why infringement can be criminal and why registration beats the 'poor man's copyright'.
22 June 2015
Same Name, Different TLD: How Domain Name Disputes Are Decided
Domain names must be unique worldwide; trademarks can coexist across classes and countries. That mismatch drives the disputes. Reputation, first use and the similarity of the goods offered are what tribunals and courts actually weigh.
Raja Pannir Selvam · 22 June 2015
Filing International Trademarks via the Madrid Protocol from India
One application, one language, one set of fees — the Madrid Protocol lets Indian businesses seek trademark protection across the world. How the three-stage process works, the benefits, and the pitfalls: central attack, local-agent costs, and transformation.
Nikita · 14 June 2015
Copyright or Design? The Delhi HC Decodes Section 15 of the Copyright Act
When an artistic work is applied industrially to make articles, does copyright survive? The Delhi High Court parsed Section 15 — Hussain's horse painting vs a saree motif — to draw the line between copyright and design protection.
12 June 2015
Musical Instruments and IP: Design, Patent and Trademark
The look of an instrument, a genuine mechanical innovation, and the brand on the headstock are each protected by a different IP right. How design, patent and trademark protection apply to musical instruments.
5 June 2015
Board Games and IP: How the Law Protects a Game
A board game is not protected by one right but several — copyright in the artwork and rules, design registration for the board, a possible patent for a genuine innovation, and a trademark for the title.
5 June 2015
Can You Register a Signature as a Trademark in India?
Section 2(m) expressly includes a signature in the definition of a mark. But a plainly written name won't get through — a signature needs a distinctive style, or proof of acquired distinctiveness, as Sachin Tendulkar and Katrina Kaif's filings show.