Insights
Practical perspectives on protecting, managing and enforcing intellectual property across India and the subcontinent.
6 December 2024
IndiGo's '6E' vs Mahindra's 'BE 6e': A Trademark Turbulence
IndiGo has used '6E' as a brand for eighteen years; Mahindra Electric adopted 'BE 6e' for an EV. IndiGo sought an injunction in the Delhi High Court — a case testing cross-industry rights in an alphanumeric mark.
22 November 2024
A Non-Speaking Refusal Won't Stand: Madras HC Sets Aside a Patent Rejection
The Deputy Controller refused a crystalline-form patent under Sections 3(d) and 3(e) without engaging with the applicant's expert evidence, and relied on prior art published after the priority date. The Madras High Court set the order aside and sent it back — to a different officer.
Rohit Magesh · 5 November 2024
The JioHotstar Domain Saga: Why Squatting on a Brand Doesn't Pay
A Delhi individual registered jiohotstar.com before the Jio–Hotstar merger, hoping to cash in. Why that is cybersquatting — not a clever bet — and how the UDRP's three-part test decides who keeps the domain.
Rohit Magesh · 1 November 2024
Similar Pharmaceutical Trademarks in India: How Courts Draw the Line
Drug names often share a prefix or suffix drawn from the active ingredient. When is that confusing enough to stop — and when is it just shared public property? How Indian courts balance safety and fair competition.
Adlin Mini M · 29 October 2024
Domain Registrars and Trademark Abuse: Snapdeal v. GoDaddy
Snapdeal sued 32 domain registrars over 'SNAPDEAL' look-alike domains. The Delhi High Court stopped short of blanket injunctions but ordered registrars to build grievance and abuse mechanisms — and disable privacy that hides infringers.
Keerthana K · 28 October 2024
Madrid Applications in India: Overcoming the Trademark Office's Objections
An International Registration designating India is examined under Indian law — and often meets provisional refusals. Six practical strategies: local counsel, class-specific objections, the ® trap, priority claims, and where to file amendments.
Raja Pannir Selvam · 19 October 2024
Patents on Biological Resources: The NBA Approval You Can't Skip
If your invention uses an Indian biological resource, the Biological Diversity Act requires National Biodiversity Authority approval before the patent is granted. Why it exists, when it applies, and how to obtain it.
Adlin Mini M · 26 September 2024
Goa's Wedding-Music Circular and the Section 52(1)(za) Copyright Fight
Goa told police that wedding music needs no copyright NOC, citing the 'religious ceremony' exemption. The Bombay High Court struck the circular down as ultra vires — the executive cannot rewrite the Copyright Act by circular.
Keerthana K · 24 September 2024
Can You Legally Remix a Song in India?
Remixes are not covered by the cover version licence in Section 31C. What permissions you actually need, who owns which rights in a song, and what happens if you skip them.
Raja Pannir Selvam · 11 September 2024
Opposition Revived: You Can't Abandon It for Late Evidence If the Counter-Statement Was Never Served
The Bombay High Court revived a trademark opposition the Registry had abandoned for late evidence — because the opponent was never actually served the counter-statement that starts the clock. Procedure must be followed strictly.
Raja Pannir Selvam · 10 September 2024
Corporate Name Change? Update Your Trademarks — and the Registry Must Act
When a company changed its name and filed to update its trademarks, the Registry sat on it. The Madras High Court directed the office to dispose of the procedural application within six weeks — a nudge to keep IP records current.
Adlin Mini M and Keerthana K · 9 September 2024
The Jan Vishwas Act, 2023: What Changed for IP Law in India
The Jan Vishwas Act decriminalised a swathe of IP offences from 1 August 2024 — replacing imprisonment with fines and turnover-linked penalties across the Patents, Trade Marks, Copyright and GI Acts.