Update (current position): The Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) was abolished by the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021. Its jurisdiction — appeals and rectification under the Trade Marks, Patents, Copyright, GI and Plant Varieties statutes — was transferred to the High Courts, several of which have since set up dedicated IP Divisions. The note below is retained as an archival record.
The 2013 appointment
Justice K.N. Basha, recently retired from the Madras High Court, was appointed Chairman of the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB), succeeding Justice Prabha Sridevan, with S. Usha serving as acting chairman during the transition.
Justice Basha graduated from Madras Law College, joined the bar in 1976, worked with senior advocate N.T. Vanamamalai before starting independent practice in 1985, was elevated to the Madras High Court in 2005, and retired in May 2013.
Why this matters now
The IPAB was, for two decades, the specialist forum for IP appeals and rectification. Its 2021 abolition was a significant structural change: those matters now go to the High Courts, and practitioners should file appeals and rectification actions there — increasingly before dedicated IP Divisions (as at the Delhi and Madras High Courts).
Frequently asked questions
Does the IPAB still exist? No. It was abolished by the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, and its functions were transferred to the High Courts.
Where do IP appeals and rectification go now? To the High Courts, several of which have created dedicated IP Divisions to handle them.
Who was Justice K.N. Basha? A retired Madras High Court judge appointed IPAB chairman in 2013, during the period when the IPAB was still functioning.
Legislation referred to
- The Trade Marks Act, 1999