Design

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SpicyIP Weekly Review (March 9 – March 15)

/ By / Copyright, Design, Others, Patent, Trademark

Midway through March, we approach the colourful spring with a post on Pantone’s latest choice for its annual colour of the year! Another post on understanding fair dealing as a component of the copyright system and not the central axis. Can the Patent Office reject a patent application on one ground and decline to analyse the rest in the name of efficiency? Post discussing Bombay High Court’s ruling in JFE Steel Corporation v. Controller of Patents & Designs. Case summaries […]

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SpicyIP Weekly Review (February 2 – February 8)

/ By / Copyright, Design, Others, Patent, Trademark

Into the second week of February, with formal comments from our bloggers on the DPIIT’s proposed “One Nation One License One Payment” framework for GenAI and Copyright. A post on an industrial drama written in 1847 bursting the myth of the free-market society, and another post on the recent concept note by the DPIIT proposing reforms to India’s design law. Case summaries and IP developments from the country and the globe in this week’s SpicyIP Weekly Review. Anything we are

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Design Law Reforms: Searching for Justifications

/ By / Design

Long post ahead! DPIIT on 23rd January 2026 had put out a concept note titled “Proposed Amendments to the Designs Act, 2000” and has invited comments from stakeholders, with the last day for submitting comments being 22nd February 2026. Some reforms are substantive, affecting the scope of design law. While others are administrative, intended to smooth out the difficulties that design applicants face. This post would be a quick analysis of some of the reforms being suggested. The reforms I

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A Look Back at India’s Top IP Developments of 2025

/ By / Competition Law, Copyright, Data Exclusivity, Design, Drug Regulation, Geographical Indication, Innovation, Patent, Plant Variety Protection, Podcast, Trade Secret, Trademark

[This post is completely human authored 🙂 These humans include – Praharsh Gour, Vasundra Koul, Arshiya Gupta, and Vikram Raj Nanda. Selection and Supervision by- Praharsh Gour, Swaraj Paul Barooah, and Bharathwaj RamakrishnanResearch Inputs from Yohann Titus Mathew, Riddhi Yogesh Bhutada, Ayush Shetty, Sumit Kumar Singh, Shailraj Jhalnia, Himanshu Mishra, Bhavya Gupta, Aali Jaiswal, Anushka Kanabar, Srishti Gaur, Arshya Wadhwa, and Daanish Naithani.] 2025 was quite an eventful year. On the judicial side, we saw a variety of novel developments, such

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Novenco v. Xero: Do IP Cases Get a Free Pass to Bypass Sec 12-A? 

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

The recent decision of the SC in Novenco Building and Industry v. Xero Energy Engineering seems to have been well taken. Comments online have showered praised over the decision for striking the right balance between procedural lapse and substantive justice. Writing on this blog for over 2 years now, I have learnt one important lesson- the outcome must never shift one’s focus away from the reasoning.  To gauge how much off the mark reasoning in this judgement was, please read this- “the public

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GUI and IP: Here, There and Everywhere!

/ By / Copyright, Design, Others, Overlaps in IP, Patent

Image from here The Calcutta High Court (CalHC) seems poised to resolve the issue of registrability of GUI under the Designs Act (Act) once and for all. In a recent order in Erbe Elektromedizin GmbH v. Controller of Patents (Erbe, IPDAID/22/2024), CalHC has appointed Adv. Adarsh Ramanujan as amicus curiae to assist the Court on a matter, which seems to involve questions on the registrability of GUI under the Designs Act (See Adarsh’s post). This comes at a time when

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SpicyIP Weekly Review (August 04 – August 10)

/ By / Copyright, Design, Others, Patent, Trademark

McDonald’s “Mc” prefix at the centre of a trademark battle, a new twist in the Pertuzumab biosimilar case at the Delhi HC in Roche v. Zydus, trademark and colour combination in the news again in Exide Industries v Amara Raja Energy. This and a lot more on last week’s SpicyIP Weekly Review. Anything we are missing out on? Drop a comment below to let us know. Highlights of the Week The “Mc”Monopoly: Is McDonald’s Building a Trademark Empire on a

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Dura-Line v. Jain Irrigation: Where the Design’s Test Holds Water but TSM Leaks

/ By / Design, Patent

Explaining the Delhi High Court judgement in Duraline v Jain Irrigation, Srishti Gaur highlights how it stands out for its findings on design infringement, but falls short on the obviousness analysis of the suit patent. Srishti is a third-year student at National Law University, Delhi. Her previous post can be accessed here. Dura-Line v. Jain Irrigation: Where the Design’s Test Holds Water but TSM Leaks By Srishti Gaur On 19th May, 2025, in Dura-Line India Pvt Ltd v Jain Irrigation

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Holes in Reasoning? How the Judgement in Crocs v Bata Might be Misunderstood

/ By / Design, Trademark

Taking forward the discussion on the Delhi High Court’s recent Crocs US v. Bata judgment, Priyam Mitra highlights how the Court might not have confused the concepts of design and trade dress. Priyam is a 3rd year student at the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru. He is interested in contemporary discussions surrounding intellectual property and criminal law.  Holes in Reasoning? How the Judgement in Crocs v Bata Might be Misunderstood By Priyam Mitra A division bench of the Delhi High

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Double-Dipping via Design? Why the Crocs Judgment on Trade Dress and Design Rights Wrongly Mixes it Up

/ By / Design, Overlaps in IP, Trademark

A division bench of the Delhi High Court recently passed a judgment addressing whether a remedy against a passing off allegation be sought for a design registered under the Designs Act. The judgement was passed in an appeal arising out of two orders of a single judge passed in Dart Industries v. Vijay Kumar Bansal and Crocs v. Bata (which was passed after clubbing together 5 suits), and relies extensively on a DHC 5 judge bench decision in Carlesber v.

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