Intellectual Property

On 21^st February, 2019, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) notified the Companies (Incorporation) Amendment Rules, 2019 ("Amendment Rules") directing every company incorporated on or before 31^st December, 2017 to file E-form INC – 22 A to verify their registered office. This move of the government along with other newly introduced stringent compliances such as director KYCs, is with the aim to tighten the noose around dummy entities....

Can an artwork that is under copyright be relied upon for obtaining trademark registration? The Delhi High Court recently disagreed, holding that copyright registration was “extraneous” to trademark registration, overturning a decision of the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) in this regard....

The procedures for the fixation of trait value or seed price of registered plant varieties must only be done as per the plant variety protection law, and based on the agreement between the right holder and the concerned party, according to a new Notice issued by the plant variety regulator. The Notice is unique because this is the first time that an IP regulator has formally issued a legal instrument stating that any price control of protected items must be in accordance with the relevant IP legislation. ...

A Special Bench of five judges of the Delhi High Court has held that had a composite suit in relation to the infringement of a registered design and passing off, where the parties are the same, is maintainable in a court of law. ...

Comparative advertisement and product disparagement are sensitive subjects to manufacturers of goods and services. Comparative advertising is a strategy used by companies to represent their product as superior in comparison to that of a competitor. When a comparative advertisement makes a comparison that is misleading and/ or derogatory, it crosses over into what is referred to as product disparagement. ...

Trademark owners in the food business, they will now have to introduce disclaimers when they use certain terms in their marks, brands or labels, so that consumers are not misled or deceived as to the nature of the products being sold, according to new regulations issued by India’s food regulator....

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry have issued draft rules to amend the Patent Rules, 2003 (available here: See). The following major changes have been proposed in these draft rules: ...

The question of granting temporary injunctions is always a knotty one, and requires establishing whether the injunction-seeker has a prima facie case, whether the balance of convenience lies in their favour, and if the temporary injunction is not granted, that the they would suffer irreparable loss or injury. The challenge before a court is to determine which facts must be considered when assessing the request for such an injunction. ...

Can a request for information under the Right to Information Act, 2005 (“RTI Act”) be denied on grounds of being the copyright of a third party? This was one of the questions that a Two Judge Bench of the Supreme Court of India recently dealt with. The case related to the issue of disclosure under the RTI Act, where a person sought information regarding the plans submitted to public authorities by a real estate developer. ...