A ‘Legal Issues Seminar-General IP’ (LIS-GIP) was conducted by Samreen Iboo Sait, Associate, on “Do Internet Streaming Services Fall Under the Ambit of ‘Broadcasting Organization’?”. The seminar explored various provisions and definitions under law that can be interpreted to determine whether internet streaming services can be read into ‘any broadcasting organization’ under Section 31-D of the Copyright Act, 1957, as well as the legislative intent of the amendments. The session specifically delved into how internet streaming services have been intentionally excluded from the amended law and explored relevant judicial decisions in this respect. The session concluded with interesting questions on whether a Music Modernization Act such as in the US can fill the lacuna in the current Indian copyright law or whether the existing law can be stretched out by way of amendments to keep up with technological advancements.

The presentation can be accessed here.

During last week’s Practice Workshop (PWS) Session, Abhilasha Rathore, Associate, led a discussion on “Would Adoption of AI Tools Standardize the Scrutiny of Examination Reports?” The session saw an engaging discussion on the present examination process of trademark applications by the Trade Marks Office, which sometimes leads to inconsistent objections being raised for similar marks. The session delved into whether adoption of AI based tools would standardize the examination of applications and bring uniformity in the scrutiny process. The session concluded with a debate on whether AI based tools would alleviate burden on the Examiners and expedite the examination process.

A ‘Legal Issues Seminar – General IP’ (LIS-GIP) was conducted by Shreya Kunwar, Associate, on ‘Is the Proof of Successful Trap Transactions Sufficient to Invoke the Jurisdiction of a Court?’. The seminar delved into the concept of “trap transactions” or “test orders” in IP disputes and the legitimacy of the same in invoking the jurisdiction of a court. In light of relevant judicial decisions, the discussion explored the various parameters that need to be satisfied before a successful trap transaction can be established before the court. The session concluded with an interesting discussion on the concepts of “purposeful availment” and the nature of commercial transactions for establishing the legitimacy of trap transactions.

The presentation can be accessed here.

During last week’s Practice Workshop (PWS) Session, Shilpa Margaret Kurian, Associate, led a discussion on “Would the Adoption of Data Analytics Tools Enhance the Functioning of IP Law Firms?”. The session saw an engaging discussion on data analytics and how these tools could benefit IP law firms with their business development. The session saw a debate on whether utilization of data analytics tools for generation of new business would be more beneficial than the traditional modes of business development. The session concluded with a discussion on whether having a separate data analytics team would be useful for the implementation of these tools in IP law firms.

Last Friday, ALG Attorneys got together online to welcome the newest additions to the team- Gazal Sancheti, Astha Gupta, Oshmi Jaiswal and Harshita Agarwal in an interactive Ice-breaker session. The Attorneys took a trip around the world in 60 minutes and put their brand knowledge to test in an engaging game that we called ‘Map That Brand’.