The Delhi High Court recently examined the question of territorial jurisdiction in a trademark infringement and passing-off action involving the online presence of the Defendants. The Court considered whether the plaint was liable to be returned under Order VII Rule 10 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (“CPC”) where the Plaintiff carried on business…
Executive Summary: The Indian Patent Office has introduced a structured framework for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in patent examination. AI may support classification, prior-art searches, translation, technical analysis and drafting, but every output must be treated as preliminary and independently checked. Confidential or unpublished information must not be entered into public AI tools,…
The Calcutta High Court, in a dispute concerning the use of the mark “PRO” in relation to footwear falling under Class 25, considered whether the use of “PRO BALANCE” by Aditya Birla Lifestyle Brands Limited and its associates amounted to infringement and passing off of Khadim India Limited’s registered “PRO” trademark. The Court, while considering…
RNA has proudly participated as the Knowledge Partner at the India IP Advantage Summit 2026, organized by the Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) in New Delhi. As part of our collaboration with TPCI, RNA authored the report, “From India to the World: IP Strategy, Market Access and Risk Management for Exporters,” which was launched…
Background of the Case The appeal arose from the refusal of Indian Patent Application No. 468/DELNP/2008 titled “Method and Arrangement for Optimising the Operational Times and Cell Change Performance of Mobile Terminals.” During the proceedings, the Court noted that despite the existence of Section 3(m), there were no clear guidelines on how Patent Office examiners…
The Bombay High Court recently considered two applications alleging wilful breach and disobedience of an injunction granted on 24 November 2010 in a trademark and copyright dispute concerning the mark “NOVA” and its associated artistic work. Since both applications arose from substantially the same alleged violations, the Court considered them together and disposed of them…
The Division Bench of the Delhi High Court in the More Than Water Private Limited v. Nesco passing off dispute involving “WATERBOX”, “MORE THAN WATERBOX” and “MY WATER BOX”, stressed that parties seeking interim equitable relief must approach the Court with clean hands, full disclosure and credible evidence. The Court declined interim relief to the…
The internet has blurred traditional ideas of territoriality. Businesses now rely on cloud infrastructure, data is stored and processed across borders, artificial intelligence models are trained on servers in different countries, and digital intermediaries operate through globally distributed networks. Against this backdrop, defendants in intellectual property disputes increasingly argue that Indian courts lack jurisdiction simply…
In a recent decision, the High Court of Delhi considered whether a plaintiff that had instituted a passing-off action could amend its plaint to add a claim for trade mark infringement after securing registration of the mark during the pendency of the suit. The judgment affirms that procedural law should facilitate the effective adjudication of…
In a significant ruling concerning the arbitrability of trademark disputes arising from contractual arrangements, the Division Bench of the Delhi High Court allowed an appeal against an order of the District Judge (Commercial), South District, Delhi, and referred the dispute between the parties to arbitration under Section 8 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996….
CS(COMM) 1028/2024, I.A. 45301/2024 & I.A.26192/2025 Date of decision 24th July 2026 This judgment is among the first significant Indian decisions to examine how traditional copyright principles apply to generative artificial intelligence and large language models. In refusing interim relief to ANI Media Pvt. Ltd., the Delhi High Court considered whether OpenAI’s use of publicly…
Background The dispute arose from a suit filed by Malabar Gold Private Ltd. against M. Manuel, proprietor of “Malabar Fashion Jewellery,” before the Additional District Judge-II, Kozhikode, alleging trademark infringement, copyright infringement, passing off, and related reliefs. The plaintiff claimed exclusive rights over the registered trademark “MALABAR GOLD” and its logo in Class 14, asserting…
