AI & IP Weekly (11–17 September 2026): Copilot Copyright Decision and AI Patent Valuation
What can AI tell us about the value of a patent, and what happens when it produces code without naming its author? This week’s stories follow the EPO’s…
Dr. Kalyan Kankanala
309 articles
Dr. Kalyan Kankanala is a practicing intellectual property (IP) attorney and author. He is a senior partner at BananaIP Counsels, a well-known IP firm based in Bangalore, India. His writings cover a range of topics relating to IP law, business, and policy, and he has authored several books and articles in the field. He has been contributing to this blog since 2007.
The views expressed here are his own and do not represent those of BananaIP Counsels or its members.
Doctors Without Borders, But Not Without an Acknowledgement: Dharma’s Jigra and Trade Mark Use
Dharma’s Jigra used “Doctors Without Borders” as part of a fictional prison escape. The Delhi High Court declined to restrain the references, but did not accept that the…
A Brush with NEEM: Jyothy Gets Interim Trademark Protection Against Dabur
Dabur’s NEEM toothpaste met a legal brush with Jyothy’s registered marks. The Bombay High Court found a prima facie case of infringement and passing off concerning Dabur’s prominent…
Who Moved My Copyright? The Author, the Publisher and the Missing Assignment Deed
In the case of Pares Chandra Das & Anr. v. New Central Book Agency Private Limited & Ors., the author wrote the books, licensed their publication, stated that…
Photographer Copyright: Clicked by One, Owned by Another?
In the case of The Cinema Resource Centre v. Ganga Rudraiah, an album of film photographs travelled into an archive after being purchased from a scrap dealer. The…
Opposition Settlement and Withdrawal: Trade Marks Registry Sets Friday Hearings to Clear Pending Cases
The Trade Marks Registry has announced Friday hearings for pending opposition matters involving settlement or withdrawal. Its notice dated 31 August 2026 sets out the hearing schedule, document…
DABUS Can Create, but Can It Author? India Decides the AI Copyright Question
An artwork generated by DABUS cleared the limited originality threshold under Section 13, but the application to register it still failed. An AI system is neither a natural…
From the Golden Temple to Television: Gurbani Kirtan, Broadcast Rights, and the Religious Ceremony Exception
In the case of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Anr. v. Galactic Television and Communications Pvt. Ltd. and Ors., Gurbani Kirtan streamed from the Golden Temple became the…
No Source, No Patent: Calcutta HC Says Fraunhofer Was ‘Shooting in the Dark’ on Bioreactor Biomass Patent
A bioreactor patent promising faster biomass growth through radiation exposure has been refused by the Calcutta High Court for failing to explain how the invention actually works, and…
A Little Biology, Some Chemistry, and a Trademark Called BIOCHEM
In the case of Alder Biochem Private Limited v. Zydus Healthcare Limited & Ors., BIOCHEM had been part of the pharmaceutical market for several decades before Alder adopted…