Celebrating 20 Years of IP Excellence

Intellepedia - IP News Updates

Elvis Presley International Memorial Foundation v. Crowell – Right of Publicity is Descendible

This post was first published on October 12th, 2011. 733 S.W.2d 89 (Tenn., App, 1987) Elvis Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. He was popularly known as “King of Rock and Roll”. Elvis Presley's career was without parallel in the entertainment industry. From his first hit record in 1954 until his death in 1977, he scaled the heights of fame and success that only a few have attained. He was aware of his likeness and…

Read more

The image depicts a tea estate in Darjeeling.

‘Darjeeling’ is Not Owned by Tea Board

This post was first published on 19th September 2011. Tea Board, India v. I.T.C. Limited Decided by CALCUTTA HIGH COURT on 24th August, 2011 Facts The plaintiff is an autonomous, non-profit statutory body and was established by the Government of India for the purpose of controlling the Indian Tea Industry. This establishment is engaged in production, cultivation, marketing, sale and export of tea, encouraging research, and other numerous statutory duties and functions under the Tea Act. In order to preserve the integrity of tea…

Read more

Intellepedia - IP News Updates

D.M. Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. v. Baby Gift House and Ors.

This post was first published on September 14th, 2011. Citation: MANU/DE/2043/2010 Daler Mehndi is a popular music composer, lyricist, and singer in India. He was involved in the creation of numerous music albums such as BOLO TA RA RA RA, DARDI RAB RAB and so on, which have been sold extensively across the world. He incorporated a company, D.M. Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., the plaintiff in this case, in 1996, in which the letters DM stands for the initials of…

Read more

Intellepedia - IP News Updates

Music Broadcast Pvt. Ltd. v. Super Cassette Industries Ltd.

This post was first published on 5th September 2011. HIGH COURT OF DELHI RFA No.250/2011 & CM No.8977/2011 Decided On: 01/09/2011 Facts: This appeal arises out of the interim orders passed by Copyright Board in the litigation between Music Broadcast Pvt. Ltd (MBPL) and Super Cassette Industries Limited (SCIL) with respect to fixing of a royalty fee of a license agreement between the parties. According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two…

Read more

News image

Cinematograph Act Amendment, Facebook to Make Political Ads Transparent, No Removal of Explicit Streaming Content, EU Agrees on Copyrights, Fiji Counter-sues, and more

Cabinet Approves Cinematograph Amendment to Curb Piracy, Delhi HC Dismisses Plea Seeking Removal of Explicit Streaming Content, Facebook to Increase Transparency of Political Ads, Jeff Bezos Accuses National Enquirer of ‘Extortion and Blackmail’, EU Negotiates Agreement on Copyright Rules, ‘GTA V’ Cheats Cost Creator USD 150,000 in Damages, Fiji Water Counter-sues Viral Fiji Water Girl, PV Sindhu Signs Lucrative 50 Crore Deal with Chinese Sports Brand, McFarlane Toys Inks Deal for DC Superhero Toys, Kiss and Emoji Collaborate, BMG to License Music through SESAC in India, Copyright Tip of the…

Read more

This image depicts a stamp of the word confidential. THis image is relevant because this post talks about the basic clauses of a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Click on the image to view full post.

Confidential Information: Basic Clauses in a Non-Disclosure Agreement

This post was first published on August 15th, 2011. One of the most widely adopted measures to protect secrecy is the execution of a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). It is a common practice to sign an NDA before disclosing any confidential information. A well-drafted NDA is easy to understand, not too long and lucid. Important clauses in an NDA include: Definitions; Confidentiality; and Term and Termination. a. Definitions Clause The definitions clause in an agreement…

Read more

px Toro de osborne

How Many More Patents Would it Take to Make the World a Better Place to Live in?

This post was first published on July 30th, 2011. In a country like India where the sun is out for the major part of the day, I wonder if we are capitalizing enough on this abundant and sustainable source of energy, especially in a time when we are close to running out of conventional resources such as oil, gas, and coal. Harnessing this energy in order to make the surrounding environment a little more conducive for better living has…

Read more

Amazon Marketplace Non Compliance

Kindle eBooks, FDI eCommerce Policy and Amazon Marketplace – Non-compliance Continues Contd.

Amazon Seller Services Private Limited ("Amazon") runs the eCommerce marketplace at www.amazon.in, and among other products, Amazon facilitates sale of eBooks and/or eBook subscription licenses on the platform at its Kindle eBook Store at https://www.amazon.in/Kindle-eBooks/b?ie=UTF8&node=1634753031. In my opinion, Amazon's business and approach with respect to eBooks does not comply with the recent FDI eCommerce guidelines by virtue of the following: By exclusively permitting only its group company Amazon Asia Pacific ("Amazon APAC") to sell eBooks on its marketplace; By…

Read more

rajini

Are Rajinikanth’s Methods Patentable?

This post was first published on July 27th, 2011. Patentability of process inventions has always been interesting and controversial. We have earlier reported that the methods of performing yoga, massaging, walking on water and so on are patentable. After reading some of these posts, one of my colleagues (seemingly a big Rajinikanth fan) was curious about the patentability of Rajinikanth's methods and hence this post. Let us begin with the basics. As per the Indian Patents Act, any process or product…

Read more

Intellepedia - IP News Updates

Reasonable Measures for Secrecy

This post was first published on July 4, 2011. One of the basic and most important requirements for protection of trade secrets is reasonable measures. Despite its value, information would not be considered to be a trade secret unless reasonable measures are taken to protect its secrecy. A measure is considered to be reasonable if it gives notice of the existence of a secret and mandates or imposes its non-disclosure. While the stringency of a measure would provide a strong basis…

Read more