Author name: SpicyIP

From Blueprints to Bistro: Rethinking Culinary Creativity After Cryogas

/ By / Copyright, Design, Overlaps in IP

What happens when creativity is both functional and aesthetic at the same time? The Supreme Court’s decision in Cryogas Equipment Pvt. Ltd. v. Inox India Ltd., though rooted in industrial design law, raises a larger question about forms of expression that do not fit neatly within existing IP categories. Nidhi Jaiswal uses culinary plating as a lens to explore how copyright and design law may leave certain kinds of creative labour structurally under-protected. Nidhi is an LL.M. candidate at Rajiv […]

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Can the Indian Copyright Act Accommodate Fully Autonomous AI Generated Output?

/ By / Copyright

As the Delhi High Court directs the Registrar of Copyright to consider Stephen Thaler’s bid to register a fully AI-generated artwork under Indian copyright law, a deeper question emerges: was the Copyright Act ever designed to recognise non-human authorship at all? In light of this development, Rashi Singhal argues that the architecture, rationale, and core provisions of the Act remain fundamentally human-centric, making fully autonomous AI authorship difficult to accommodate within the existing framework. Rashi is a Graduate Research Fellow at

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Remembering Mr. Guruswamy “Nutty” Nataraj (1970-2026)

/ By / Others

[This post is co-authored by Swaraj and Praharsh] It’s with great sorrow that we share the news that the Indian IP fraternity lost one of its brightest stars yesterday. Mr. Guruswamy Nataraj, founder of LCGN Advocates and alumnus of NLSIU (1988-1993), renowned for his formidable patent law practice, sharp wit, infectious smile, and warm sense of humour, passed away following a heart attack, after a courageous battle with cancer over the last few months.  Mr. Nataraj (affectionately called “Nutty” by

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Copyright Enforcement in the Gaming Industry: Key Takeaways from the University of Geneva’s 2026 IP Conference from an Indian Observer’s Perspective

/ By / Copyright, Design, Overlaps in IP, Trademark

As the global gaming industry evolves far beyond entertainment into a sophisticated IP ecosystem built on software, art, music, branding, and competitive digital economies, conversations on questions of classification, cloning, and enforcement are becoming increasingly relevant. Reflecting on his experience attending the University of Geneva’s 2026 IP conference, Dhritiraj Paul Choudhary explains how jurisdictions across the world are actively rethinking copyright enforcement and classification in response to the commercial and technological realities of modern gaming, while Indian copyright jurisprudence has

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When Fashion ‘MET’ Culture: But Saving Traditional Craft Takes More Than A Red Carpet Tribute!!

/ By / Geographical Indication

The spectacle of Indian craftsmanship at this year’s Met Gala has sparked renewed conversations around cultural pride, artisanal heritage, and fashion’s global fascination with “Indian-inspired” aesthetics. But beneath the celebratory rhetoric lies a more uncomfortable reality: the same industries and personalities being praised for honouring Indian craft are often entangled in systems that marginalise the very artisans they claim to celebrate. The recurring appropriation of traditional textiles and designs raises a deeper question: are these gestures genuine acts of preservation,

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Call for Submissions: NALSAR’s Indian Journal of Intellectual Property Law (IJIPL) Vol. 16 (Deadline: August 1)

/ By / Opportunities

NALSAR University of Law’s Indian Journal of Intellectual Property Law (IJIPL) is now accepting submissions for its 16th Volume. The last date for sending your submissions is August 1. For more details, read the call for submissions below:- Call for Submissions: NALSAR’s Indian Journal of Intellectual Property Law (IJIPL) Vol. 16 (Deadline: August 1) The Indian Journal of Intellectual Property Law (IJIPL) is the flagship intellectual property law journal of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad. As India’s first student-run journal devoted exclusively to

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The $1 Oscar: Can Contract and IP Quietly Create Illusory Ownership?

/ By / Copyright, Trademark

The Oscar statuette may look like a personal trophy, but legally, it is something far more controlled. Through a contractual regime supported by intellectual property considerations, the Academy has ensured that an Oscar cannot become an ordinary tradable asset. Soundarya Lakshmi K examines how the Academy’s famous “$1 rule” blurs the boundaries between contract, property, and IP law, while also questioning whether Indian courts would uphold similar restrictions on ownership and transfer. Soundarya Lakshmi is a PhD Research Scholar at

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Shooting The Second Suit: Castrol v Sonavane & The Application of Order II Rule 2

/ By / Trademark

IP disputes rarely unfold in neat, linear ways, and Castrol v. Sanjay Sonavane is a case in point. Faced with a fast-evolving conflict spanning threats, raids, and a coordinated media campaign, Castrol had to navigate a tricky procedural question: one suit or many? In this post, Naman Singh examines the Delhi High Court’s answer and why its nuanced take on “cause of action” under Order II Rule 2 CPC carries significance well beyond the facts of the case. Naman is

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SpicyIP Weekly Review (April 27- May 3)

/ By / Copyright, Geographical Indication, Patent, Trademark

[This Weekly Review is authored by Naman Singh. Naman is an LLB (Hons.) student at National Law School of India University, Bengaluru. Having a background in music, film, and media, He enjoys all things at the intersection of IP and law.] The call for applications for SPARC Cohort 1 is now open! This week, marking the end of April, also saw a batch of interesting discussions that ranged from lapsed trademarks, generics production, the needed evolution of the GI tag

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Dead Marks, Live Assets – The Case for a Registry Supervised Auction of Lapsed Trademarks in India

/ By / Trademark

India’s trademark register is quietly bleeding value. Each year, marks with real commercial recall lapse not because they’ve lost relevance, but because renewal deadlines are missed, erasing years of built goodwill from the legal record. In this post, Lakshmidevi Somanath argues that instead of letting these assets vanish, India should rethink its approach and create a system to recycle lapsed trademarks back into the market. Lakshmidevi Somanath is a Partner – Litigation & Strategy in Anand and Anand and former

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