Interns – Rahul Kumar Barnwal (Final Year Intern) and Twinkle (Pre-Final Year Intern) have successfully completed their Internship at ALG. At the end of their internship, they obliged us with their thoughts and ideas during the Sharing of Reflections (SoR) sessions. Their presence enriched the firm while they interned here. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

ALG’s Sheja Ehtesham will be attending the 100th Pharmaceutical Trade Marks Group Autumn Conference in Lisbon, Portugal next week from October 5-8. This year’s in-person conference will see a high-level exchange of insights between experts from different countries on the complexities of the future for pharmaceutical trademarks. The conference sessions will cover brand protection online, the challenges of social media, protecting trademarks in sanctioned or embargoed countries, and many other issues of law and practice.

A ‘Legal Issues Seminar- General IP’ (LIS-GIP) was conducted by Anurathna Mathivanan, Trainee Associate on “Is There a Limitation on the Registrar’s Power to Condone Delays in Contentious Proceedings?”. The seminar explored relevant provisions under the Trade Marks Act, 1999, and the Trade Marks Rules, 2017 and the divergent views taken by courts on the limits of the Registrar’s discretionary power to allow requests for extension of time in contentious trademark matters. The session concluded with an interesting discussion on whether the exercise of this discretionary power by the Registrar is in conformity with the principles of natural justice and whether there is a need for comprehensive guidelines to ensure uniformity in the exercise of the Registrar’s power.

The presentation can be accessed here.

During last week’s Practice Work Shop (PWS) Session, Shilpa Margaret Kurian, Associate, led a discussion on “Does E-Governance Hinder Businesses’ IP Management?” The session saw an insightful discussion on the impact of e-governance on businesses conducted over the internet. The discussion explored whether the impact of e-governance on business also has a domino effect on its IP management and the measures that may be undertaken to protect the commercial interests of business while also safeguarding the privacy of consumers. The session concluded with members sharing their diverse recommendations on managing the IP while the business is being regulated.

ALG’s Sheja Ehtesham will be attending the 36th MARQUES Annual Conference in Madrid, Spain next week from September 20-23. This year’s in-person conference will see a high-level exchange of insights between experts from different countries on how sustainability and new technologies will shape the future of brands. The conference sessions will cover Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain; digital dispute resolution; virtual/augmented reality and deep fakes; branding innovative products; and enforcement in the metaverse.