Intellectual Property

Traditional knowledge (TK), according to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), is the knowledge, know-how, skills, and practices based on the experience of indigenous people. It is developed, sustained and passed on from one generation to another within a community, often forming part of its cultural or spiritual identity. ...

Patent laws, including in India, usually allow oppositions to be filed against patent applications, either before or after they are granted. Appeals against decisions in opposition matters may also be permitted in some cases. In India, an appeal against a decision of a Controller may be filed in post-grant oppositions, but the law is not as straightforward when it comes to appeals in pre-grant oppositions. ......

False or incomplete disclosures can be costly - this follows from a recent decision of the Delhi High Court, where the global technology giant Google had to not just forgo its patent application for not meeting conditions of patentability, but also pay a fine for not providing complete and correct information of corresponding foreign filings in connection with the application. ......

Trade secrets are a form of intellectual property (IP) that usually refers to some type of commercially valuable data, information or knowhow relating to a business, which is not known to the public and has been subject to reasonable efforts by its owner to keep it secret. ......

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has, on March 15, 2024, notified the Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2024 to amend the Patents Rules, 2003 (“Amended Rules”), making significant changes to Indian patent practice and procedure. The Amended Rules have already come into effect from the date of publication, i.e., March 15, 2024. ......

In a continuation of the long-drawn out big ticket litigation between PepsiCo and potato farmers, a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court in January 2024 reversed an earlier decision that had revoked the multinational’s registration of potato variety FL2027, which it uses to make the iconic Lays chips. ......

The success of a business depends on various elements, including its brand. Commonly understood as just the name and logo, “brand” has a deeper meaning, incorporating many factors that feed into the consumer experience offered by the business. A successful brand strategy leverages brand identities to create imagery that prompts instant recall in consumers’ minds. ......

Among the many exclusions to patentability, the Indian Patents Act, 1970 (“the Act”) also excludes “diagnostic methods” under Section 3(i). But the term itself has been applied inconsistently by the Indian Patent Office (“IPO”). This note discusses a recent decision of the Madras High Court on the interpretation of this term and its implications on related patent applications. ......

The primary objective of intellectual property (IP) law is to encourage creativity and innovation; the law must also maintain a fine balance such that the use of such creativity and innovation is not prevented outright, but also not abused. This is why IP and IP-related laws have requirements like demonstrating the working of patents in a jurisdiction, or preventing domain squatting, and so on. ......