M. DarshikaAssociate Introduction: Over the years, for governing and regulating the labor and employment regimes, several labor laws were implemented in our country. This multiplicity of labor laws had resulted in several distinct compliances thereby making it very onerous for businesses to ad...
Virtual Private Network or VPN allows people to browse securely via an array of encrypted services that allow masking of individual identities. Users gain access to websites that are banned or those that are available in specific countries. VPN allows two or more networks to connect. Companies can a...
There is no doubt that there are many advantages of Artificial Intelligence and IoT enabled smart devices. Technical advancements in facial recognition, voice recognition, automatic content recognition are adding newer dynamics to entertainment, household, and lifestyle. However, the smart devices a...
A legal document, regardless of whether it is a plaint, affidavit or contract serves two purposes - informing and engaging both the client and the court about the legal issue. It is essential for lawyers and judges to draft all legal documents with clarity, such that the essential facts are conveyed...
By Dr. Vinod Surana Data collection Data is a collection of names, numbers, dates, measurements formatted to be machine readable. Data is responsible for boosting a company’s revenue, building target audience as well as modifying their products or services to meet demands. Several sources predict ...
The Indian laws were inadequate for issues relating to Cyber, AI, Cloud and Bigdata and there is a dire need to have standard frameworks that will assist stakeholders in the country in scenarios of cyber-attacks, ransomware and malware. Educating the consumers about ensuring their safety and privacy...
Adithya Narayan Student Intern, Dispute Prevention & Resolution INTRODUCTION Over the last few decades, there has been a significant increase in the digital commercialization of goods and services. “E-Pharmacies” have entered the race during the Covid-19 lockdown and the need for med...
Chinna Aswathy Abraham Associate, Dispute Prevention and Resolution The intersection between admiralty laws and insolvency laws has been making waves for the last many years With respect to India, questions arose as to the jurisdictions of the courts- while admiralty jurisdiction generally exercised...
Legal research and writing in my opinion are the backbone of a good lawyer. Here, writing would mean communication. Communication can be in written, oral and nowadays, even in video form. Hence, as legal practitioners it is crucial that we are thorough on the basics of legal research and legal writ...
A ransomware attack is one of more predominant forms of criminal business models designed to extort money by injecting threats into their computers and other digital systems....
At an august ceremony held on March 17, 2021 in the Surana & Surana Auditorium within the firm’s office premises, the Director-General of Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC), Chennai (Taiwanese Consulate), Mr Ben Wang handed over the letter of appointment to Dr Vinod Surana as the Hon. ...
Surana & Surana International Attorneys held their first live seminar under the Knowledge Series, on “The New Industrial Policy 2021” and “MSME Policy 2021” for the state of Tamil Nadu, on February 27, 2021. Presented by the firm’s Partner Sanjay Mehta who analysed the ...
Can one be forgotten from the internet? The need In the hyper connected nature of the web today, personal information about anyone can be easily obtained within a few clicks on the internet. Personal Identifiable Information (PII) refers to any data that can distinguish a living individual uniquely ...
Remote work is here to stay. Our understanding of the traditional employer-employee relationship is gradually becoming altered. In this evolving world, would the traditional employer- employee contract still be relevant? If not, then what are the key issues that need to be pondered...
At the end of October, at Connect 2021, Mark Zuckerberg relaunched Facebook as Meta in October 2021, in quest of the metaverse. The once-loved concept of a virtual world parallel to the actual world has now been mainstreamed by the internet giant’s makeover. Gradually, the metaverse is becomin...
The new IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 have given rise to a political space where the Right and the Liberals unite, but only momentarily. ...
Owners of intellectual property (Trademarks, Copyright, Patent, Designs, etc.) must always be alert and ensure that their rights are not violated by any third party. Any form of intellectual property would be an asset and hold great commercial value to its owner in today’s competitive business env...
BY Dr. Vinod Surana Introduction A family constitution is a charter that documents the values and principles of a family business. The contents of a family constitution underline the values and principles of the business while also providing reference points for decision-making concerning ownership ...
Ms.Chinna Aswathy Abraham Associate, Litigation & Arbitration Practice Business rescue is commonly achieved by sale of the company’s assets while keeping it a going concern, in an attempt to generate more value, as opposed to selling the assets in piecemeal. This is precisely what a pre-packag...
By Dr. Vinod Surana PR Strategies For High Profile Litigations Introduction The recent clamour around the Sushant Singh Rajput case has shown how and why does managing the public and the media matter in high profile litigation cases. The lawyers from both sides have incessantly given interviews to t...
The Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (1)also known as the ‘New York Arbitration Convention’ was adopted with the aim of harmonising the process for the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards and for referral by a court to arbitration. Howe...
By Dr Vinod Surana What is Litigation Funding? Litigation Funding, commonly referred to as Third-Party Funding (TPF), refers to the process of covering a party’s litigation expenses by a funder in return, for a share in the litigation’s monetary award. Litigation funding can cover the co...
By Dr. Vinod Surana With a looming pandemic that is leading economies to lean towards a K-shape recovery, it is apparent that the brunt of the economic crisis is being felt differently across different businesses and industries. A category of business going through unique changes is the family busin...
By Dr. Vinod Surana In the electronic era, information is left behind as digital footprints in the cyberspace. The trail of digital evidence is searched, identified and analyzed to link and reconstruct the chain of events. Forensic Investigation of cybercrime cases are complex and depends on evidenc...
Introduction The Indian Parliament during its monsoon session culminating on 23 September passed three highly contentious bills, currently awaiting the President’s signoff, amidst uproar from opposition party leaders and farmers groups. These bills were intended to replace ordinances promulgated o...
By Dr. Vinod Surana Living in the age of artificial intelligence, automation, and instant communications, it is a natural progression to increasingly implement technology in the democratic processes. India, one of the largest democracies in the world, has already illustrated how efficient and equita...
By Dr. Vinod Surana Prevention and Response Checklist for Victims and Investigation Agencies Introduction to Digital Forensic A Singapore based cyber research firm has alerted the Indian cyber agencies about a massive cyber-attack by a Chinese hacking group from June 21, 2020 onwards (Mirror now, 20...
By Dr. Vinod Surana Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy takes the judiciary head on, saying it was obstructing his functioning at the behest of his predecessor, who was operating levers with the help of a sitting Supreme Court judge. Insinuations, and even allegations of corrupti...
A constitutional tort is a legal tool that allows the state to be held vicariously accountable over the actions of its agents. Through this article, we shall discuss the different facets of constitutional tort and how our judiciary has treated the same....
A profession in law is considered highly august and financially productive. Conventionally, after graduation, a law student was expected to practice litigation. A litigator or an advocate hears and defends the cause of his/her client in the court. However, in the course of time, the career possibili...
By Dr. Vinod Surana The term “Big Data” has been labelled amongst other things as a buzzword or a new-age “marketing term”[i], but a reading of the World Economic Forum’s write up on Big Data clarifies that Big Data is not a “new or isolated phenomenon”, but another phase (albeit a rat...
How should the police force operate? Is the traditional policing approach redundant today? What capabilities can the modern world police adopt to achieve operational goals?...
Protection of a sound as a trademark is an emerging trend and all necessary resources are in the making towards optimally achieving it. Although, the Trade Marks Rules, 2017 provides express provisions to obtain registration of a sound mark, the adequacy of such provisions leaves behind numerous que...
By Dr. Vinod Surana Overview A patent is an exclusive right granted by a sovereign authority for an invention. It can be a product, process, a novelty or an improvement, or a solution to a problem. It plays an essential role in encouraging innovation and developments across all sectors. Inventors ga...
By RAKSHANA. M. K., Associate, Intellectual Property Practice Introduction: Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) have been the talk of the investment world and among the Crypto community in the recent times. Over the last decade, terms such as Blockchain technology, Cryptocurrency and Non-Fungible Tokens have ...
SMS Pharmaceuticals Limited (hereinafter “SMS Pharma”) had filed an application to modify an ex-parte ad interim order passed by the Hon’ble Delhi High Court in favour of Merck Sharp and Dohme Corp. (hereinafter “Merck”) in a suit for infringement of Merck’s Indian patent no. 209816....
For a long time, these two states have been using the KSRTC logo for their respective national trucking companies. The dispute arose when Karnataka applied for trademark registration and issued a notice to Kerala in 2014 stating that they should not use the acronym....
Metaverse, to many is that enigma where the demarcation boundaries between the virtual and real get blurred. It is the coming together of virtual reality and augmented reality. Metaverse presents a world of boundless potential. You may take virtual trips, live an ‘imagined’ life through digital ...
N. Vignesh Kumaran B.E. Associate – Patents, Intellectual Property Practice Introduction A mobile app is a computer program designed to run on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. Mobile apps are a significant part of modern day-to-day businesses. It acts as the part of bus...
Hotel Maris had filed a suit for passing off against “HOTEL MAARIS GRAND” which was located at T. Nagar, Chennai, in 2015, on the ground that “HOTEL MAARIS GRAND” is almost identical to “Hotel Maris” and therefore capable of deceiving the public....
Indiradevi Kollipara IP Division Surana & Surana International Attorneys Arbitrability of disputes, in a jurisprudential context has been affirmed in the precedents provided by the Supreme Court and High Court of much judicature. The present case reported on March 2nd, 2021 sets forth the arbitr...
Aparna Venkat Associate, Surana & Surana International Attorneys An increasing number of companies now rely on e-commerce strategies for selling and reaching out to customers. Online channels eliminate the need to physically run a shop. This pattern brings together companies that offer products ...
By D.Sai Meera, Senior Associate, IP Practice 1. Introduction Artificial intelligence (AI) is the ability of computers and machines to perform mental tasks commonly associated with humans, such as learning, reasoning and problem solving.1 AI is one of the emerging Front...
In this article, we will study about the history of Amul, the case won before the Federal Court of Canada and the provisions governing trademark infringement. We will now have a look on the basic and brief introduction about AMUL....
By N. VigneshKumaran B.E. Associate Surana & Surana International Attorneys Introduction Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and many other desired products by the cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock). Traditionally, Intellectual...
In a recent Judgment by Delhi High Court on 20 July, 2021 in Astrazeneca Ab & Anr v. Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd. the court held against Astrazeneca reaffirming that one product cannot be covered by more than one patent with some significant findings on double patenting....
In the year 2011, Booking.com, a travel and hotel accommodations company, filed four trade mark applications for Booking.com. The USPTO rejected the said applications on account of the mark being too generic, in the year 2016. The Lanham Act specifically prohibits the registration of generic trade m...
PS5 comes up with a new patent that can show the players “what if” scenarios based on choices they didn’t make This patent discloses what is basically a “what if” function, which could provide the players of the PS5 the ability to not only examine replays of their gaming but also view diff...
Inspite of growing awareness about the importance of intellectual property protection among corporates, practical information about what IP strategies and filings are best for corporate growth, remains low. The conference aimed at educating corporates on the various government schemes for MSMEs, Ind...
Mondelez India Foods Pvt Ltd And anr v. Neeraj Food Products Mondelez India Foods Private Limited (previously Cadbury India Ltd.) and Cadbury Schweppes Overseas Limited filed a suit against the defendant for trademark infringement of their product “CADBURY GEMS” or “GEMS”. The ...
Marico Limited vs Dabur India Limited The Petitioner initiated a suit for infringement and disparagement in relation to the advertisement published by Dabur in various newspapers containing a disclaimer that implies that the Device/ Label mark of ‘Nihar’ which is a part of their advertisement be...
Franco Indian Pharmaceuticals vs Vatican Lifesciences Private On July 12, 2022, the High Court of Bombay held that in the case of rival marks where they are phonetically, structurally, aurally, and visually similar; in such a way that a mere cursory look at the rival marks brings out the overwhelmin...
Moonshine Technology Pvt Ltd v. Ticktok Games Pvt Ltd The Plaintiff initiated the suit against the defendant for the use of the mark ‘BAAZI’. The plaintiff claimed its marks containing the term BAAZI to be well- known and to have attained worldwide recognition. The Plaintiff alleged that the Def...
Financial incentives for certification and Intellectual Property Rights reimbursement scheme notified by the Goa government This scheme of the government is part of the State Incentives to Encourage Investments Scheme, 2017 with an object to make the existing market more competitive and efficient bo...
UpGrad files trademark infringement suit against Scaler: A suit was filed before the Delhi HC against the EdTech company Scaler for using the brand name ‘upGrad’ through Google Ads to appear on top of the page on the Google Search Engine. The company has sought damages of more than 3 Crores. Pre...
Piaggio v. Peugot The Tribunal Judiciaire of Paris and Tribunale of Milan have found the control system which enables a three-wheeler to tilt like a regular two-wheeler employed by Peugeot Metropolis (Mahindra Group) to be infringing Piaggio Group’s patent and has banned Peugeot Motorcycles from p...
Bragg Live Food Products sues National Fruit Product Company for Copyright and Trademark Infringement Bragg Live Food Products, a company specialized in providing organic food products, has accused the NFPC of copying its trade dress and infringement of trademarks and copyrights. Bragg states that i...
Zed Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd. Vs. Hardhik Mukeshbhai Pansheriya The Plaintiff holds 18 registrations for the mark ‘BEARDO’ inclusive of Class 3. The Defendant holds registrations in Class 7 and 11 for the identical mark ‘BEARDO’ to which rectification proceedings are pending before the Trade Marks...
Lord of the Rings’ Crypto Blocked under JRR Tolkien’s Trademark Violation: The ‘LORD OF THE RINGS’ Crypto Currency was created and promoted back in August 2021. According to the developer of the Crypto, the ‘JRR TOKEN’ is a tribute to the late author JRR Tolkien. The family members of th...
V Guard Industries Ltd. Vs. Sukan Raj Jain and Anr – Delhi High Court The Plaintiff, a proprietor from Kerala manufactures and markets electrical goods under the mark ‘V-Guard’ across the country and furthermore has a subordinate (supply) office in Delhi. The Plaintiff instituted a trademark i...
Delhi High Court extends the deadline to submit comments on Delhi High Court Intellectual Property Rights Division Rules, 2021 The Hon’ble Chief Justice of Delhi High Court had announced the creation and functioning of a separate Intellectual Property Division which would solely deal with the IP m...
India’s key achievements related to patent filings: The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry announced the key achievements that the country has been performing in relation to patent filings. The domestic patent filing has surpassed the international patent filing between the period of January ...
Kyobo Life fined for letting subsidiaries use IPs for free The insurance company holds various forms of IPs including numerous trademarks and copyrights. The company was accused of letting their subsidiaries use the Kyobo brand without paying fees from 2016 to 2019. The South Korea’s financial...
Trademark tiff on ‘Natural Ice creams’ The Plaintiff, Siddhant Icecreams LLP & Kamath Ourtimes Icecreams Pvt. Ltd. sued a Gujarat-based company and another for infringing the use of the term “Natural Ice Cream”. The Plaintiff is seeking damage and compensation of nearly 150 crore for i...
YouTube content strikes misuse of Copyright laws in India, claims Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) The Indian Internet Freedom Foundation made a representation to Google India with relation to the recent rising number of YouTube Channel blocks in the country and claims that one major reason for con...
YouTube expands guidelines on Copyright infringement detection The number of takedowns of content due to Copyright strike has been increasing and it was also announced that YouTube is testing out new features which aim to provide more capacity to manage channel engagement, and more options to help c...
Huawei’s Trademark applications for ‘Petal Search’ rejected The company had applied for the Trademarks ‘PETAL SEARCH’ in relation to search engine services and providing localized search services based on user search habits. The search engine was launched back in 2020 and applications for ...
New York Stock Exchange Files Trademark Application for NFT Applications have been filed o trademark the term NYSE for usage of the mark as an NFT and the Stock Exchange is officially entering into the Crypto and NFT marketplace. The NYSE has announced that it has no immediate plans of launching a C...
Protection of the Aaj Tak trademark Delhi High Court granted an interim injunction to Living Media Limited, the parent company of the Aaj Tak brand and ordered Google and Facebook to block the four defendants and also extended its order to 25 different websites, carrying infringing brands. HonR...
France.com Inc v. French Republic The legal battle for the trade name and mark France.com commenced years back and presently, the US Supreme Court has ruled in favour of the Government. This trade name and mark was used since 1994 by a U.S. citizen and French expat and owns protections for the trade...
Delhi High Court circulates Intellectual Property Division (IPD) Rules, 2021 for inputs from the members of the Bar The Hon’ble Chief Justice of Delhi High Court had announced the creation and functioning of a separate Intellectual Property Division which would solely deal with the IP matters in J...
HT Media Ltd. v. Pooja Sharma & Ors Hindustan Times had approached the Delhi High Court seeking permanent injunction and damages for infringement of their Trademark, Trade Name and Copyrights against websites which were portraying to the general public that they were in some way associated with ...
Major companies including McDonald’s filing Trademark Applications for the Metaverse Various major companies including Nike and Walmart had filed Trademark applications for virtual goods and services in the Metaverse. Presently, McD has filed for the registration of its marks in relation to virtua...
Biscuit Battle Last year Britannia had taken ITC to court alleging that the latter’s product packaging “Sunfeast Farmlite 5-Seed Digestive” and “Sunfeast Farmlite Veda Digestive” were deceptively similar to Britannia products. Soon after the dispute, ITC modified its packaging and Br...
Increase in Global IP Filings despite Economic shutdown due to the pandemic WIPO recently released its report on the annual IP filings. The reports show an increase in the filing activities especially in relation to trademark filings despite the effect of the pandemic on the economy. Most of the fil...
Abba v. Abba Mania: The pop group ‘ABBA’ sues a UK-based company that stages shows under the brand Abba Mania. This suit has been initiated by Polar Music International, the company that owns the Abba Group claiming that Abba Mania has been using the term ‘ABBA’ without the company’s prior...
AWS Music marks opposed by Amazon Amazon Technologies Inc. is opposing the registration of the mark “AWS MUSIC” claiming that the consumers are likely to be confused, mistaken, or deceived into believing that the goods offered under the newly applied AWS MUSIC mark are in some way endorsed by Am...
Patent (Amendment) Rules, 2021 notified and has come into force The Patent (Amendment) Rules, 2021 has been notified by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade and has come into effect from 21 September, 2021. “Educational Institutions” have been inserted as a category of app...
Bacardi & Co v. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office The company has sued the USPTO for allegedly violating the law by reviving a Cuban government entity’s trademark “Havana Club”. The legal battle between Bacardi and the Cuban entity was initiated by Bacardi and claim that they be...
CJEU affirms Pirelli’s tyre groove trade mark The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has settled the long pending dispute between Pirelli & Yokohama as regards the validity of Pirelli’s tyre groove trade mark registered in Class 12 in respect of tyre products & related accesso...
USPTO To Begin Issuing Electronic Trademark Registration Certificates On 2nd May, the USPTO announced via federal notice that, on June 7, 2022, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will start issuing electronic certificates of trademark registration. The electronic registration cert...
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY REGISTERS “THE” AS A TRADEMARK The term “THE” has been successfully registered by The Ohio State University in relation to apparel that the university wears during athletic activities. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) initially ...
Aparna Venkat Associate Surana & Surana International Attorneys The Learned Judge of the Bombay High Court, G.S. Patel has urged that the Advocates reconsider the manner in which they frame their prayers in a trademark infringement or passing off suit. In the said suit bearing Commercial IP Suit...
On 5th April, 2021, the Tribunal Reforms (Rationalization and Conditions of Service) Ordinance 2021 abolished the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) and effectuated the change in the provisions concerning the impugned body in the Trade Marks Act 1999, The Patents Act, 1970, The Copyright A...
Wondering who Willis Carrier is and why you can’t be any cooler than him? Willis Carrier is an American inventor who designed the first modern air-conditioning system. As summer looms and temperatures have slowly but steadily begun to soar, Willis Carrier’s contribution to make our lives more to...
The Ohio State University from the state of Ohio filed a trademark application bearing the serial number 88571984 with the USPTO (United States Patents and Trademarks Office) in 2019 to seek protection of the word ‘THE’. The user date of the application dated back to the year 2005 and had been f...
Intellectual Property Attorneys Association v. The Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks & Anr: The Intellectual Property Attorneys Association (hereinafter referred to as Petitioner), aggrieved by the non-speaking orders passed by the Controller General of Patents, Designs &...
BigBasket has recently sent a ‘Cease and Desist Letter’ to Daily Basket asserting infringement of their brand name. BigBasket claims to be the biggest online food and supermarket in India while Daily Basket professes to be a little bootstrapped, Coimbatore-based, two-man start up. Daily ...
In PiyushSubhashbhaiRanipa vs. The State of Maharashtra, which was decided on February 26, 2021, the Hon’ble High Court of Bombay has settled the law on whether offences under Section 63 of the Copyright Act, 1957, and Section 103 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999, are bailable or non-bailable. Section...