A move that took many (if not most) IP practitioners and stakeholders by surprise, a Bill titled “The Tribunal Reforms (Rationalisation and Conditions of Service) Act, 2021” was introduced on 11th February, 2021 in the Lok Sabha (lower house of the Indian Parliament). The Bill proposes to abolish “certain tribunals and authorities and to provide…

The Plaintiff, UFO Contemporary, INC, filed action against the Defendants, Creative Kids Wear (India) Pvt. Ltd. and Ors, alleging trademark infringement and passing off to restrain the latter from using the mark UFO in relation to manufacturing and marketing of clothing. The suit is a result of falling out between the parties on use and…

‘Thirumala’ a sacred town in Chittor district, Andhra Pradesh famous for Lord Venkateswara’s temple https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venkateswara_Temple,_Tirumala is being subject of trademark tussle between two entities dealing in milk and dairy products. The Plaintiff, Tirumala Milk Products Private Limited (TMPL), registered proprietor of the mark filed the suit at the Madras High Court against the Defendants, Swaraj…

The ruling of the single judge of Karnataka High Court holding that an e-commerce marketplace being an ‘intermediary’ is not liable for any action or inaction on the part of a vendor/seller has come as a significant relief for e-commerce portals and their directors/officers. The court thus proceeded to quash criminal proceedings against the Directors…

As we begin a new year, there is optimism and hope given the unprecedented challenges businesses and consumers faced during 2020. Our post provides a round-up of key developments in legislative, regulatory, and judicial arena that highlight the Indian IP environment remains vibrant. Indian courts and IP offices adapt to the “new normal” The IP…

In an interesting case, District Consumer Redressal Forum in Kerala (CC 345/12) recently passed an order penalizing the Malayalam movie actor Anoop Menon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anoop_Menon  and the manufacturers of Dhathri Hair Cream https://www.dhathri.com/hair-protector/p/15327821 for making false claims in an advertisement issued in 2012. The movie star and Dhathri were ordered to pay compensation to the complainant and a fine imposed…

The Intellectual Property office has recently issued its Annual report for the years 2018-2019. Our post covers some interesting aspects of the report. Firstly, the report counts its notable achievement during the course of year as below: Simplification of the Patent procedures, Proposal for amending the Patents Rules in respect of revised definition of Start-up,…

Quests for personal gains have become so intense that those involved in litigation do not hesitate to take shelter of falsehood and misrepresent and suppress facts in the court proceedings. Materialism, opportunism and malicious intent have overshadowed the old ethos of litigative values for small gains. This post discusses the perils of suppressing material facts…

Working Statement required to be filed by patentees every year continues to be a controversial subject. The frequent change in forms and differing stand of the Patent Office has added to the confusion. The Indian Patent Office has, after more than two years of the consultation process with stakeholders draft form that it rolled out…

Can the state’s literacy rate be a criterion while deciding the likelihood of confusion between the trademarks? An appeal before the High Court of Kerala challenges the District Court’s finding holding “Kerala has a high rate of literacy; the deception on account of a deceptively similar trade mark is not possible.” Facts of the case…

As Covid19 has created business uncertainty, the M&A activity, in general, has slowed down but still there are companies/businesses that are tapping crisis opportunity to make strategic acquisitions. We outline a few commonly asked questions from IP perspective in a transaction involving transfer of IP assets. I am acquiring a business what are the IP…

The post discusses an interesting decision by the Delhi High Court on similarity of marks BOAT and BOULT used for consumer electronic devices such as earphones, headphones, speakers, and other accessories. Imagine marketing Pvt. Ltd (“Plaintiff”), owner of the mark BOAT has brought this action against Exotic Mile (“Defendant”), owner of the mark BOULT alleging…