Unfortunately, the problem is not simply with low quality comments that have no bearing on the topic. What we’ve been noticing is an escalation of comments that exhibit a significant degree of depravity and venom, personally targetting our bloggers and using highly abusive language. This is particularly so for posts relating to the Indian patent office (and in particular the post concerning the CSIR:IPO outsourcing arrangement that we began to showcase recently).
This is nothing short of shameful and reflects the worst of human depravity. If the makers of these comments think that this degenerate expression of their sick constitutions will force us to desist from our postings, they are sadly mistaken. If at all anything, it will only serve to increase our exposure of the malaise in Indian IP institutions. While these despicable commentators would have wasted their valuable time penning down vile trash that never sees the light of the day!
ps: for those interested, an earlier post outlining our moderation policy is here.
Shamnad,
I have noticed that whenever there is any blog concerning patent, there are many comments, out of which many are very much thoughtful and informative. However, as you have stated that there have been “comments that exhibit a significant degree of depravity and venom, personally targetting our bloggers and using highly abusive language”.
This I can guess are the comments by officials of the IP Office (Patent).
On the other hand there have been so many comments on the functioning (I should say, malfunctioning) of the TM Office, there has never been any ”comments that exhibit a significant degree of depravity and venom, personally targetting our bloggers and using highly abusive language”. All I remember about the venom that was spelled out by some one when there was criticism of TM Officials, there was one/two occasions. But I know that those comments were given by TM agents whose work is done by TM Officials without any hesitation and those names are known in the TM Circles.
This could be because perhaps the Patent Officials are more regular in reading your blogs than the TM Officials. In fact there is more regular staff in Patent Office (many fold) than the TM Office.
Nevertheless, what I understand is that you are not obliged to print/post each and every comment that you receive from the readers. Right?
Please keep on writing the blogs. The readers would be happy to know about the exposures that you make about the TM and Patent Office. Prashant has already promised to publish even a ghost post on the difficulties of the agents while dealing with the IP office. In fact the difficulties are in abundance and no solution. Problem is that CG is also not fully helpful. He has punished all the agents by ordering for paying the fee by way of Pay Order/DD only because the cheque of one of the agents had bounced. He has been told that the same is against he Rules and also amounts to contempt of court. But then what has he done?
I raise a point. Hass his circulars been given any head to? See for instance the circular issued by him that the petitions that were filed on or before 30th Nov., 2010 with respect to the wrong removal of thousands of marks, to be heard and decided by 31st March, 2011. This he had stated while extending the time for filing the said petitions by 31st March, 2011. HAVE THOSE PETITIONS BEEN HEARD AND DECIDED BY 31ST MARCH, 2011? In some cases even the notice is yet to be issued for a hearing what to talk about deciding. AND OF COURSE forget about the petitions filed after 31/3/2011. The fate is not known.
He had issued internal notice to pass the orders by 31/3/2010, in all the cases which were heard by the hearing officers before that. There are many cases in which no orders have been passed.