Innovation

The Forgotten Half of the Copyright Bargain – Legal Deposit : Part 2

/ By / Copyright, Innovation

This is in continuation of Part 1 which dealt with the pre-independence history of Library Deposits and its Coupling/De-Coupling with Copyright! The scheme matured after independence. At a literacy rate near twelve per cent and in what the economist Malcolm Adiseshiah called a book famine, India enacted the Delivery of Books (Public Libraries) Act of 1954, Act 27 of 1954, for the promotion of public libraries and the encouragement of scholarship. Section 3 requires the publisher of every book published […]

The Forgotten Half of the Copyright Bargain – Legal Deposit : Part 2 Read More »

Wooden ladder leaning against shelves filled with old leather-bound books

The Forgotten Half of the Copyright Bargain – Legal Deposit : Part 1

/ By / Copyright, Innovation

In 2024 the Union Government approved One Nation One Subscription, a scheme to fund national access to commercial journals at a reported cost of six thousand crore rupees over three years. The scheme funds access for the term of the payment. When the payment ends the public retains no copy of what was read. Praharsh and Shravya have previously examined whether the scheme closes the access gap or extends the dependence that produced it. A prior question concerns the law

The Forgotten Half of the Copyright Bargain – Legal Deposit : Part 1 Read More »

Defragmenting the “Work” : A Critique of Ivy Entertainment’s “Hook” Injunction

/ By / Copyright, Innovation

On 15 May 2026, a Single Judge of the Delhi High Court passed an ex parte ad-interim order in Ivy Entertainment v. Rahul Singh restraining the defendants from making any use of one line of lyric, jaane meri janeman bachpan ka pyar bhool nahi jaana re, on the footing that this fragment is the “distinctive hook line” of a song in which the plaintiff, an acquisition vehicle that purchased a portfolio of 1,250 songs in November 2025, claims copyright. The

Defragmenting the “Work” : A Critique of Ivy Entertainment’s “Hook” Injunction Read More »

The Inventor is still Human: Indian Patent Office’s DABUS Refusal

/ By / Innovation, Patent

In keeping with a broad global trend, the Indian Patent Office has refused Dr. Stephen Thaler’s patent application which sought to recognise Dr. Thaler’s AI system DABUS as the inventor of a ‘food container and devices and methods for attracting enhanced attention’. The Indian patent office’s decision goes a step beyond the refusals issued by other jurisdictions and discusses, along with inventorship, the question of patentability of the claimed invention. The refusal of the Indian Patent Office is a part

The Inventor is still Human: Indian Patent Office’s DABUS Refusal Read More »

Applications Open for the SpicyIP Summer School 2026! 

/ By / Innovation, Opportunities

We’re thrilled to announce that Applications for the SpicyIP Summer School 2026 are open! Following the success of our inaugural edition last year (see event report here, and video testimonials here), we’re looking to continue our foray into the offline space, focusing on cultivating critical pluralism in approaching IP law and policy, particularly as it relates to innovation and progress.  This year’s theme “Rethinking IP: Foundations, Faults, and Futures” takes cognizance of the changing times we’re in and will push participants to

Applications Open for the SpicyIP Summer School 2026!  Read More »

The Illusion of Innovation: Looking at the Galgotias University Patents

/ By / Innovation, Patent

Arguing that India’s patent regime is being distorted by seemingly flawed incentives, Kartikeya Srivastava explains how the NIRF’s publication-focused metrics have turned patent filings into a numbers game divorced from genuine innovation. Through a close reading of two contrasting Galgotias University patents, he highlights a structural system that risks rewarding low-quality filings. Kartikeya is a final-year law student in the LL.B. course at NLSIU Bangalore. He also has a B. Sc. degree in Biology. Having freelanced as a patent research

The Illusion of Innovation: Looking at the Galgotias University Patents Read More »

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

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

Dead Assets in a Digital Economy: Why Online Gaming Licences Should Be Treated Like IP

/ By / Copyright, Innovation, Trademark

Examining how non-transferable online gaming licences function as core digital assets yet lose economic value due to rigid regulatory constraints, Srija Singh highlights a critical gap in the current framework. In her submission for the SpicyIP- jhana blogpost writing competition, she argues that these approvals should be treated as IP-like intangible assets to preserve enterprise value and foster innovation in India’s digital economy. Srija is a final-year law student at Amity Law School, Noida, with a research interest in intellectual

Dead Assets in a Digital Economy: Why Online Gaming Licences Should Be Treated Like IP Read More »

Delhi High Court Risdiplam DB Judgement: A Few More Thoughts

/ By / Innovation, Others, Patent

Image from here [The post is co-authored with Praharsh Gour with research assistance from Vikram Nanda.] The Delhi High Court’s recent Risdiplam DB judgement refused to interfere with the Single Judge’s order rejecting Roche’s interim injunction application against Natco. It was alleged by the Swiss Pharma manufacturer that Natco infringed its Risdiplam patent- IN 334397 (Suit Patent). The decision, passed by a bench comprising Justice C Hari Shankar and Justice Ajay Digpaul, will enable access to affordable orphan drugs for

Delhi High Court Risdiplam DB Judgement: A Few More Thoughts Read More »

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/Raanjhanaafilmposter.jpg

Raanjhanaa on the Big Screen (Again): Analysing the IPR Issues Triggered by An AI-Generated Ending

/ By / Copyright, Innovation

[A big thanks to Lokesh for his inputs in the post] The impending re-release of Raanjhanaa on August 1, 2025, with an AI-generated alternate ending, has reignited the long-standing tension between ownership and authorship. At a time when AI continues to be viewed with scepticism, especially within creative industries, this development adds another layer to the growing unease around artistic integrity. This isn’t the first time AI has stirred controversy in entertainment. I recall covering a similar flashpoint last year,

Raanjhanaa on the Big Screen (Again): Analysing the IPR Issues Triggered by An AI-Generated Ending Read More »

Scroll to Top