During the last PWS session, Atul Bhatt, Associate hosted a discussion on “Whether the status of a trademark being well-known should be subject to renewal?” The session commenced with a discussion on whether should the validity of a mark, once declared well-known, be extended till perpetuity, or should there be any specific duration of its validity. The members then went on to discuss whether the current scheme of the Act has any mechanism to keep in check the same. The members exchanged ideas as to what would be the ideal period, if any, after which the well-known status of a mark should be subject to renewal. The session concluded with the perspective that conferring well-known status in perpetuity is an overreaching privilege and there needs to be a new system which allows periodic renewal of well-known marks.

ALG’s Of Counsel, R.A. Tiwari, recently delivered an engaging presentation during a webinar organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on September 18, 2024. The topic, ‘Procedure Followed by the Indian Office Before Granting Protection of International Registration of Marks Under the Madrid System,’ offered valuable insights into the complexities of international trademark protection.

ALG’s Arundathi Krishnadas was part of the Judges Panel for the Preliminary Rounds of the International Negotiation and Mediation Competition (INMC), 2024 conducted by the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of NMIMS Kirit P. Mehta School of Law, Mumbai. The Preliminary Rounds took place on the 7^th and 8^th of September, 2024, and were based on an IPR-themed negotiation-mediation matrix. The event had participation from teams from across India who competed in various rounds to qualify for the Finals.

A ‘Legal Issues Seminar- General IP’ (LIS-GIP) was conducted by Richa Pushpam, Trainee Associate, on “Whether screenplay in respect of which a cinematographic work is made constitutes an independent literary work?”. The seminar discussed relevant provisions under the Copyright Act, 1957 to determine whether the statute recognizes the existence of an independent and autonomous copyright in the screenplay in respect of which a cinematographic work is made, for it to be granted protection as an original literary work under the Act. The session analysed various judgments which discussed whether the copyright in a film affects the separate copyright of any underlying work that the film is based on or includes significantly.

The members also exchanged their views on whether the author of a screenplay has the right to issue a license to novelize the screenplay.

The presentation can be accessed here.

Recently, ALG Attorneys came together for a lively bonding and team-building activity in the form of an exciting treasure hunt! The event was filled with friendly but fierce competition (as expected from our nimble team) in the battle of wits as the groups raced to uncover codes and find the ‘treasure’.

Catch a glimpse of our Attorneys indulge in a well-deserved break filled with fun, food and frolic before we gear up for the last quarter of the year.