The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) issued their Advisory for LinkedIn content creators/ influencers, requiring disclosure of material connections between themselves and the products, services, or advertisers they promote. As per the Advisory, this nondisclosure constitutes a breach of the ASCI Code, the Guidelines for Influencer Advertising in Digital Media, and the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) Guidelines. The Advisory also requires that disclosures made by such LinkedIn influencers should be clear, upfront, and prominently displayed and warns that non-compliance, repeated violations will result in escalation to regulatory authorities for necessary action.

The ASCI Advisory is available here.

The guidelines, developed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) under the supervision of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, aim at promoting self-regulation among e-commerce platforms. The guidelines have been released with an aim to protect consumers from potential fraud in the fast-growing digital shopping industry and are open for stakeholder comments by February 20, 2025.

The link for the official draft guidelines is provided here.

The Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks (CGPDTM) will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Trade Marks Act, 1999, with “The Trade Marks Yatra” on December 30, 2024. The event will feature a commemorative logo and continuing webinars on key topics and landmark judgements in Trade Marks Law, the Madrid System and significant court rulings. The Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks also invites stakeholders to share their success story via email to mumbai.tmr@nic.in by December 20, 2024.

The link for the public notice is provided here.

India has achieved a global top-10 ranking in patents, trademarks, and industrial designs, with a 15.7% rise in patent filings and fourth place in trademark filings, up 6.1% in 2023. Nearly 90% of trademark filings were by residents, driven by health, agriculture, and clothing sectors. With 3.2 million active registrations, India’s trademark office ranks second globally, reflecting its robust role in brand protection, per the World Intellectual Property Indicators 2024 report.

The Press Release can be accessed here.

The Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks has now launched a chatbot – IP Saarthi, which offers to revolutionise IP Support by addressing the queries and concerns for amplified intellectual property protection. The chatbot is designed to provide faster support and guidance to users navigating the intellectual property registration process. With IP Saarthi, users can access information, resolve issues, and get expert guidance in an efficient manner.

The Chatbot can be accessed at here.