A ‘Legal Issues Seminar – General IP’ (LIS-GIP) was conducted by Nivrati Gupta, Associate on “Whether mere numerical marks are capable of registration as trademarks?” The seminar focused on recent developments in the judicial recognition of numerical trademarks, emphasizing on whether the principles of inherent distinctiveness of a mark can be extended to numerical trademarks. The discussion focused on judgements wherein it has been held that arbitrary or coined numerical combinations can be registered if they are distinctive and capable of distinguishing goods and services of one from another. The discussion concluded with view that registration would grant rights only over the specific numerical combination and not the individual digits.  

The presentation can be accessed here.

Interns – Saanchi Thukral, Aaryushi Goyal, Kushika Kumari, Tanisha, Pranjal Singh and Mugdha Vaidya have commenced their General IP Internship with the firm’s law practice.

We hope their stay in the firm during the 4 week period of their internship will be mutually enriching and that the firm and they will learn exciting things from each other!

A ‘Legal Issues Seminar – General IP’ (LIS-GIP) was conducted by Garima Chauhan, Associate on “Whether decisions for temporary injunction are prima facie adjudication of the Court?” The seminar dealt with the ongoing debate on whether orders relating to temporary injunctions are adjudicatory or merely discretionary. The host concluded the discussion with the view that temporary injunctions are discretionary orders and hence the Courts should maintain a cautious outlook when taking reference of judgments dealing solely with the Trade Marks Act, 1999 and applying it to matters dealing with interlocutory orders.  

The presentation can be accessed here.

During the last PWS session, Richa Pushpam, Associate, hosted a discussion on “Can Decentralizing Trademark Offices Improve IP Access in India’s Non-Metropolitan Regions?” The participants discussed on the centralized structure of trademark offices in metropolitan regions. The attorneys concluded that, despite its intent to increase accessibility, decentralization may not be practical at this stage, and efforts should be directed towards strengthening the digital infrastructure of the IP system and simplifying procedures to improve IP access across non-metropolitan regions. 

A ‘Legal Issues Seminar – General IP’ (LIS-GIP) was conducted by Vaidehi Gupta, Senior Associate Designee on “Can an entity carry on the business of licensing sound recordings without obtaining copyright society registration?”

The seminar dealt with the ongoing debate on whether the business of licensing requires an entity to secure registration as a Copyright Society. The discussion traced the lineage of decisions given by the High Courts of Delhi, Bombay, and Madras, and highlighted the complexities of defining the requirement under the Copyright Act that the business of licensing should necessarily take place through a registered Copyright Society. The discussion concluded with the view that the requirement of obtaining Copyright Society registration requires a close and careful analysis of the business models of entities that license works to the public at large to ensure that they are compliant with the requirements of the law.

The presentation can be accessed here.