The SpicyIP team would like to wish all our readers a very happy and prosperous new year!!
As we look back on the year that was, the blog has seen a very spicy year! From welcoming in a terrific new bunch to the team, to hearing words of praise for the blog from Amartya Sen, to finding SpicyIP being cited by major newspaper across the world and even (at least) one news channel! And of course – 2015 will be the year that SpicyIP turns ten!
The Indian IP landscape too was alit with spicy developments in this past year with both exciting cases as well as broader IP developments! Some randomly selected highlights include:
Cases: Attempts to gain IP protection over “Pranic Healing”, looking into jurisdiction in e-commerce IP disputes, the DHC kicking in some steps to clear the huge backlog at the IPO, the Nexavar Compulsory License’s trip through the Indian legal system system, the SC streamlining Patent revocation procedures in the Enercon litigation, etc.
IP Developments: the rise of smartphone IP wars in India, the new IP think tank and related developments, mediations in pharma patent disputes, possible plain packaging requirements, the various US pressure mechanisms to influence Indian IP policies, the queries around a Dasatinib Compulsory License, the Patent Office’s moves towards greater transparency, etc.
As we move forward into the new year, there will be plenty to look forward to – especially to see how the new IP policy will mould things [detailed analysis of which, will coming up on the blog soon]. With the IP landscape growing at a hectic pace, it’ll be extremely interesting to see whether ill-planned [or unplanned] growth lets it grow wild and out of control, or whether regulated, well thought out actions can convert it into a beautiful, sought-after model for progress. And of course, this responsibility doesn’t fall on any one set of shoulders alone – but on the shoulder’s of all interested parties. So let’s all ensure we try to contribute towards a more developed, inclusive IP and innovation eco-system. As the saying goes, “If you want to be incrementally better: Be competitive. If you want to be exponentially better: Be co-operative”.
With this, we’d like to wish all our readers a very warm and successful year ahead! And with our first decennial anniversary coming up, we have a lot of ideas for this year, so make sure to prepare your palates for even spicier offerings from the SpicyIP team!
