India and the European Union concluded negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement(FTA), reinforcing IP protection under TRIPS for copyright, trademarks, designs, trade secrets, and plant varieties. The FTA recognised the importance of electronic archives, especially India’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library project, as a mechanism for exchanging information on IP laws, practices, and technology transfer measures. The IPR Chapter dedicatedly establishes frameworks for technology transfer and strengthens business partnerships between India and the EU.

Press Release is available here.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has announced the Thirteenth Edition of the Nice Classification, effective January 1, 2026, introducing reclassification of certain goods and services such as eyewear (Class 9 to 10), emergency vehicles (Class 9 to 12) and electrically heated clothing (Class 11 to 25). These changes will apply to all new trademark applications filed on or after January 1, 2026. The classification of goods and services under existing applications and registrations will remain unchanged. This update has implications for trademark clearance searches, filings, and monitoring, which will need to account for both earlier and revised classes.

More information on the Thirteenth edition can be accessed here.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has set up a committee to examine the intersection of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Copyright. The Committee’s mandate includes assessing whether the existing copyright framework sufficiently addresses issues posed by AI and providing recommendations. The Working Paper – Part 1, on the use of copyright-protected works for training AI systems, is now open for public and stakeholder consultation. Feedback/comments can be sent to ipr7-dipp@gov.in within 30 days, i.e. till January 7, 2026.

The report is accessible here.

India’s Trade Marks Registry (Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks) has accepted the country’s first-ever smell mark for advertisement, “Floral Fragrance / Smell Reminiscent of Roses as Applied to Tyres”, filed by Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. The Registry observed that the graphical representation of the rose-like smell, developed by IIT Allahabad, satisfied the statutory requirement and the rose fragrance is easily recognisable to consumers while being uncommon in the tyre industry, rendering it distinctive.

The order can be accessed here.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has notified the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) (Amendment) Rules, 2025. The amendments substitute the First Schedule, providing an updated fee structure with reduced official fees across several stages of GI filing and registration. Notably, the application fee for GI registration has been reduced from ₹5,000 to ₹1,000 per class to encourage grassroots communities to secure GI protection, thereby supporting authenticity and preventing misuse of GI-tagged goods.

The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) (Amendment) Rules, 2025 can be accessed here.