The 1st Annual SLR – Sage Essay Competition

/ By / Uncategorized

Socio-Legal Review (SLR), the inter-disciplinary, peer-reviewed and student edited journal published by the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) and Sage Publications, the independent international publisher of books, journal and international media, have announced “The 1st Annual SLR – Sage Essay Competition”. Topics ( any one of the following): 1. John Milbank argues that, “Liberal principles will always ensure that the rights of the individual override those of the group.” For this reason, he concludes, “liberalism cannot defend corporate […]

The 1st Annual SLR – Sage Essay Competition Read More »

Reminder: Conference on ‘Indian Copyright Law: A Social Perspective’

/ By / Copyright

SpicyIP would like to remind our student readers about the conference being conducted by the Inter-University Centre for IPR studies in association with the HRD Chair on IPR, Cochin University of Science and Technology, from March 10-12, 2011 . The theme for the conference is ‘Indian Copyright Law: A Social Perspective’. The website been updated with additional details, including tentative speaker lists and details regarding accommodation, student presentations etc. There is also the option of registering online here. The last

Reminder: Conference on ‘Indian Copyright Law: A Social Perspective’ Read More »

Enercon GmBH claims IPAB voided 12 patents on grounds of ‘national interest’; MIPR provides us with copy of the Order

/ By / Uncategorized

In an interesting development this morning we were pointed to the latest issue of ‘Wind-Power Monthly‘, a trade magazine covering the ‘wind-power’ sector in Germany and other jurisdictions. A lawyer for Enercon GmBH, the losing party in the recent decision of the IPAB, which voided 12 of its patents (we’ve blogged about it over here), has made a statement to the ‘Wind Power Monthly’ stating that the IPAB has allegedly decided the issue on the basis of ‘national interest’. I

Enercon GmBH claims IPAB voided 12 patents on grounds of ‘national interest’; MIPR provides us with copy of the Order Read More »

An attempt to ‘balance’ the data exclusivity debate

/ By / Data Exclusivity

Warning: Long post – you’ve been warned.Image from here. The ToI and the Indian Express have recently carried an op-ed, each, on why India should resist the ‘data exclusivity’ demand being thrust upon it through the Indo-E.U. Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Strangely the Op-eds although written by different people, carry the same title – ‘Don’t Swallow this Pill’. The ToI piece was written by Unni Karunakara, International President of the reputed ‘Doctors Without Boundaries’, while the IE piece was written

An attempt to ‘balance’ the data exclusivity debate Read More »

Spicy IP Tidbit: Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority appoints New Chairperson

/ By / Plant Variety Protection

(Image taken from here)Many of the followers of Spicy IP will probably be familiar with the organization Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA). The activities of PPV&FRA have been reported beforehand here and here, including an interview with the erstwhile Chairperson of the organization, Dr. S. Nagarajan. During Dr. Nagarajan’s tenure, PPV&FRA has been considerably active and successful in promoting the Plant Variety Protection regime in India, by way of hosting several National Consultative Seminars, advocacy programs,

Spicy IP Tidbit: Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority appoints New Chairperson Read More »

Amendment to S.2(m) – Copyright Standing Commitee Report

/ By / Copyright

Continuing with my series on analysing the Parliamentary Standing Committee’s report on the amendments to the Indian Copyright Act, in this post, I will focus on the proposed definition of ‘infringing copy‘ under Section 2(m) of the Act (I apologise for the long gap between the two posts – been having trouble with my laptop the past few weeks) CURRENT PROVISION:Clause 2 (m) of the Act defines the expression ‘infringing copy’ as a (a) reproduction of a literary, dramatic, musical

Amendment to S.2(m) – Copyright Standing Commitee Report Read More »

Patenting Delays ?

/ By / Patent

The abysmal delays in the granting of patents is not a new tale for India. A recent editorial in the Week puts forth the sorry state of the IPO and the sheer frustration of the inventors. The report suggests that while about 79,000 patent applications were pending with the Indian Patent Office (IPO), only 16,061 were granted patents in 2008-09. The delay has been largely attributed to the acute shortage of man-power at IPO and not surprisingly, the shortage is

Patenting Delays ? Read More »

India, South Africa gain from J&J-generic deal, Patent Pool loses out

/ By / Uncategorized

Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Tibotec has granted multiple non-exclusive licenses for a new HIV-AIDS treatment to generic manufacturers including Hetero Drugs Ltd, Matrix Laboratories Ltd from India and Aspen Pharmacare from South Africa. The drug in question, rilpivirine hydrochloride (TMC278)  is still pending approval however. Tibotec would recieve 2-5% of what is received for the pills. The press release by Tibotec is available here.  The licensing allows the Indian generic companies to manufacture, market and distribute TMC278 in Least Developed Countries, Sub-Saharan

India, South Africa gain from J&J-generic deal, Patent Pool loses out Read More »

Breaking News: TATA loses infringement challenge against Greenpeace

/ By / Trademark

The Indian-owned global conglomerate, the TATAs, have failed to convince the Delhi High Court that Greenpeace was guilty of defamation and trademark infringement in its use of the TATA logo in an online game. Justice S Ravindra Bhat of the Delhi HC refused to grant an injunction against Greenpeace earlier today. We are awaiting a copy of the order, and shall post if there are any significant observations by the court.The international environmental NGO, represented by Saikrishna and Associates, successfully

Breaking News: TATA loses infringement challenge against Greenpeace Read More »

Breaking News: Madras High Court admits petitions challenging the constitutionality of the IPAB and the Copyright Board

/ By / Uncategorized

Earlier this morning a Division Bench of the Madras High Court comprising of Chief Justice M.Y. Eqbal and Justice T. S. Sivagnanam, admitted two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) constituted under the the Trade Marks Act, 1999 (& also the Patents Act, 1970) and the Copyright Board constituted under the Copyright Act, 1957. Both petitions are available over here and here. Image from here. While the first petition, challenging the

Breaking News: Madras High Court admits petitions challenging the constitutionality of the IPAB and the Copyright Board Read More »

Scroll to Top