A ‘Legal Issues Seminar-General IP’ (LIS-GIP) was conducted by Krithika Muthuraman, Associate, on “Does Use of Copyright Protected Images in Memes amount to Infringement?”. The seminar delved into the position of copyright protected images and videos in memes vis-à-vis the provisions of the Copyright Act, 1957. Specifically, the seminar looked into the provisions relating to infringement and “fair dealing” of copyright works, while also examining the applicability of the de minimis rule. The session concluded with some interesting questions and discussion among the team, including on the increasing use of memes for commercial purposes, and the applicability of fair dealing provisions to such use of copyright protected works.

The presentation can be accessed here.

During last week’s Practice Work Shop (PWS) Session, Shreya Kunwar, Trainee Associate, lead a discussion on whether the remote working model poses a threat to the effective protection of trade secrets. The session saw an engaging discussion with attorney’s expressing differing views, some asserting that knowledge of trade secrets is confined to a limited number of people and will not be exposed to any threat in a virtual set-up while others felt that a virtual set-up increases the chances of breaches in the absence of organizational oversight and monitoring, and that the remote set-up makes data and trade secrets more vulnerable to leaks and accidental disclosure.

Final Year Patent Interns – Eldho John and Saranya Dash have commenced their Patent 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!

Interns – Aakaanksha Akella, Gazal Sancheti and Mannika Gupta (Final Year) and Kritika Shukla, Himani Jaruhar, Fasila Saleem, Radhika Bhatti, Shereen Samant, Hiranmayee Ramesh, and Sivapuram V.L. Thejaswini (Pre-Final Year) 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 Sannidhi Mahapatra, Associate, on “What is the Threshold for Obscenity under The Trade Marks Act, 1999?”. The seminar delved into the threshold of adjudging obscenity of trademarks in the absence of a clear definition in the statute. The seminar also looked into the tests and parameters applied by courts to determine obscenity in cases of films, publications, etc. The session saw interesting questions and insights from the team, including on whether obscenity as a bar can be extended not just to trademarks but to the goods/services thereunder.

The presentation can be accessed here.