The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has issued draft guidelines for responsible labelling of AI-generated advertising content, open for public consultation until June 13, 2026. The framework adopts a risk-based approach, categorizing AI content into high, medium, and low-risk levels. Mandatory disclosure is required where AI significantly influences consumer decisions, while misleading content, including deepfakes and fabricated endorsements, is prohibited. The guidelines aim to ensure transparency, consumer protection, and ethical AI use in advertising.

PDF is available here.

On World IP Day 2026, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal announced a three-year waiver of official fees for sports-related intellectual property filings and registrations, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, designs, geographical indications and traditional knowledge registrations, effective immediately. Facilitation support will also be extended under existing schemes to assist innovators, students, artisans, and stakeholders in filing and securing IP rights.  

The Press release is available here.

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.