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.

Recently, ALG’s cinephiles came together in person and virtually, to discuss Damián Szifron’s thriller-comedy drama ‘Wild Tales’. The members discussed the emotions experienced by the characters and the progression of these emotions, which are complex and sharply edged in social satire, through the six segments of the movie. The members shared their blended thoughts on the reactions of the characters in different situations, all driven to the edge of reason. The movie prompted the members to introspect on the real-time everyday emotions experienced by them and their plausible reactions.

ALG Partner Ashwani Balayan will be attending the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) Annual Meeting 2022 in Los Angeles from September 17-20. A long-standing IPO member, Ashwani serves as Co-Vice Chair of the Asian Practice Committee of IPO, and Chairs the India Sub-Committee. Ashwani will also be representing IPO in the 32nd NGO Coordination Meeting which will be held on Sep 10 during AIPPI in San Francisco.

This year IPO is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. The Annual Meeting will see a range of high-level educational programs on issues covering trade secrets, AI related inventions, best practices & trends in IP, designs & trade-dress, IP in metaverse, diversity in innovation,IP in GUIs & software design, ethics in IP, etc.