The Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM) has issued a Public Notice (dated May 21, 2021) in light of the Supreme Court’s restoration of its Order dated March 23, 2020 on extension of statutory deadlines owing to the pandemic. The Notice states that all statutory deadlines falling after March 15, 2020 shall once again stand extended till further orders in order to minimise hardship to the public.

Source – https://ipindia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/News/725_1_21.5.2021_Public_Notice-Final.pdf

The e-Committee of the Supreme Court, requested for inputs, feedback and suggestions from the stakeholders on its draft Digital Courts Vision & Roadmap for its Phase III of the e-Courts Project. The last date for providing any inputs/suggestion/recommendation is April 23, 2021. The Phase III of the e-Courts project aims to provide a judicial system that is more accessible, efficient, and equitable for every individual who seeks justice, or is part of the delivery of justice, in India.

Source: https://doj.gov.in/sites/default/files/Draft%20Vision%20Document_eCommittee_0.pdf

Delhi High Court on 19.04.2021 ordered that all the judicial officers of the District Courts in Delhi will take up only urgent cases of their respective Courts, through videoconferencing mode, in view of the alarming rise in the Covid-19 cases. Further, all other matters listed before Delhi District Courts have been ordered to be adjourned en bloc by respective courts and information in this regard be uploaded on the website(s) of Delhi District Courts.

Source: http://www.delhihighcourt.nic.in/writereaddata/Upload/PublicNotices/PublicNotice_F32WW96RRP7.PDF 

The Indian Trade Marks Offices have again started scheduling opposition hearings. While TLA hearings started being scheduled in January 2021, opposition hearings are now being scheduled after over a year. The Chennai TM Office has scheduled hearings in specifically those matters where either evidence in oppositions has been not filed or filed beyond the stipulated time. Cause lists for March and April 2021 have been uploaded on IP India’s website.

Source: https://ipindia.gov.in/hearing-board.htm

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has notified Copyright (Amendment) Rules, 2021, which is effective from March 30, 2021. The Amendment Rules are notified under section 78 of the Copyright Act, 1957. One of the significant changes that the Amendment Rules has made is that it has substituted the ‘Copyright Board’ with the ‘Appellate Board’.

Source: http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/2021/226253.pdf