Announcing the IP Events page


Among the many fantastic suggestions we have received over the past few weeks was one that caught our eye, and which we thought was easily and immediately implementable: an Events Calendar. If you look carefully on the homepage of the blog, right under the top SpicyIP banner, you will spot a tab indicating the IP Events page, which you can access directly here. Events posting policy In future, any requests for posting events related to IP in India will be…


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Trademark

Spicy IPix: India’s oldest trademark?


Driving along the Bahut Rulaya Tumne* (aka BRT) Corridor in Delhi the other day, I spotted this taxi nudging me into the next lane. The photograph is admittedly grainy, and may not clear up even with adjustable spectacles, (it’s just a bad photo, blame it on the mobile phone that took it). For those who can’t read it (and neither can I, so I recall from memory), the metal logo of the Sikh Khanda symbol has the characters “TM” as…


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Readership Survey closed: changes afoot


The SpicyIP team thanks all of its readers for a fantastic response to our readership survey put out last month. We’ve received some incredibly valuable suggestions, ideas and comments, which we shall try to implement in the weeks to come. We are grateful for your continued support and encouragement, and hope you will keep providing us with ideas and suggestions on how to improve. We have since closed the survey, but please do not hesitate in emailing any of us…


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SpicyIP Tibdits: Biscuit packet designs and all that


There’s a cracker cooking at the Designs Registry between the two Indian confectionery companies Britannia Industries and Parle Products Pvt. Ltd., according to two recent orders of the Calcutta High Court. The High Court has returned two design registrations for biscuit packets (registered by Parle circa February 2002) to the Designs Office for reconsideration, observing that it was “evident” that the Office had not taken into account the prior publications submitted by the opponent in their cancellation petitions. Britannia had…


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Trademark

SpicyIP Tidbit: ‘ Greenpeace ‘advised’ to remove TATA logo from game


Readers have very likely already seen the news of TATA having dragged Greenpeace to the Delhi High Court in a defamation and trademark infringement suit over the use of its logo (stylized T in a circle) in an online game. TATA has alleged that the use of its logo is “disparaging” and “libelious”. The Greenpeace game was launched to mark the ongoing conflict between attempts to protect the endangered Olive Ridley Turtles and TATA Steel’s port located off the coast…


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SpicyIP Tidbit: Roche-Natco to be heard daily from July 27


The Delhi High Court will be hearing the Roche-Natco matter on a daily basis from July 27, 2010 onwards. The case was up for hearing today, but the court adjourned the matter. So, for those of you who’re going to be in the vicinity of the High Court around then, you would do well to listen in. [Unless, of course, you prefer, like I do, to visit the building next door, and ruminate upon the Three Cows (see left) by…


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Patent

Guest Post: Purpose-bound patent protection and lessons for India by Dr Rca Godbole


Spicy IP is pleased to bring you a special guest post on a recent decision of the European Court of Justice on a DNA patent held by global seed company Monsanto, which has raised some flags in the biotechnology industry, particularly on how it could narrow the protection currently available to companies in Europe. This very crisp yet succinct post is authored by Dr Rca Godbole, who has done her doctoral work in the field of Plant Molecular Biology, has…


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Trademark

IPO notice tries to decode TM classification tangle


A Public Notice issued by the Trademarks Registry has clarified some concerns about how pending trademark (TM) applications and registered marks will be treated as per the newly expanded classification of services in the Trade Marks Act 1999. We have discussed this previously here and here. Readers will recall Kruttika’s searching post (to which she found few answers) on various procedural concerns about the cryptic notification. This notice, dated 12 July 2010, which forms part of the latest trade marks…


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SpicyIP Readership Survey 2010


We’ve taken our time on this, but finally decided to survey our readers on your experience and feedback about the blog. We realise the comments section on individual blog posts offers limited avenues for discussion, and because it is moderated, does not let you rant enough! So, we want to know what you *really* think about the blog, how it looks, what we write/report, whether you hate us (hope not!), how we can improve and so on. We’ve designed a…


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Roche-Natco update: Natco commences arguments


Here’s a belated but surely much awaited update on the ongoing Roche-Natco hearings in the Delhi High Court. SpicyIP’s friend GenericIPGuy has already updated that the hearing is next scheduled for 16 July 2010. The SpicyIP team here offers news of what actually transpired at the previous hearing on 2 June, where Natco commenced its arguments. We hope there’s enough spice in the news to make up for the delay in posting this detailed transcription of what took place. Our…


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