Celebrating 20 Years of IP Excellence

This Image depicts the Logo of 'Fox News'. This Image is relevant as the article deals with the Fair Use of Copyrighted Material. Click on this Image for more Information.

Clips of Copyrighted Material Constitute FAIR USE!

This post was first published on 19th September, 2014.   In a recent copyright dispute, a New York Court recently held that a database providing for television clips and snippets of transcript constitute fair use, protecting it from allegations of copyright infringement. TVEyes is a company that monitors and records all contents broadcast by more than 1,400 television and radio stations and transforms this content into a searchable database for its subscribers. TVEyes allows its subscribers to use search terms and obtain transcripts and video…

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This image depicts Royal Enfield's Turbo model of Bike. This image is relevant as this is the first ever diesel engine powered bike which does not vibrate. Click on this image for more information

What Makes the World’s First Turbo Diesel Motorcycle Vibration Free?

This post was first published on 25th August, 2014.   Owing to the ever increasing gas prices, fuel efficiency offered by vehicles has become a strong deciding factor among buyers. Diesel bikes are a great benefit for people obsessed with fuel efficiency but unfortunately diesel bikes are currently not offered by any OEMs for the masses. Royal Enfield’s Taurus was the only diesel motorcycle that was in mass production until some time ago. The vibration produced by diesel engines in a motorcycle, jolts the…

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The image has green lines over black background to indicate digital information. The image is relevant as the post is about IP protection of Computer Programs. Click on image to view post.

Intellectual Property Protection for Computer Programs – Part II

This post was first published on 1st September, 2014.   In continuation to the previous post in the series, we shall now be looking into the system of IP protection for computer programs that existed prior to the adoption of Copyright and Patent Laws. Though it can be said that Copyright and Patent Laws are the more popular systems of IP protection for computer programs, it was Trade Secret Law that was initially resorted to for the protection of software, primarily because, previously, computer programs bundled…

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OSS License Compliance – Source Code Not Enough

  This post was first published on 17th January 2011.   Open Source Software adoption has taken a large stride in 2010. and so did enforcement of OSS licenses. Software Freedom Law Center has been taking the lead by filing suits against GPL violations. Despite the increasing number of OSS suits, none has till date gone the full distance. The cases are generally settled through compliance, withdrawal and/or payment of compensation.The recent withdrawal of an Open Source Software after alleged violation of GNU…

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This Image depicts a seedling is being protected by two hands on it This Image is relevant as the article deals with the Copyrights and protection of ideas. Click on this Image for more Information.

Ideas, Concepts, Scripts & Stories – Protecting Ideas in the Entertainment Industry Part V

This post was first published on 11th August, 2014.   Last week, we discussed the Urmi Juvekar Chiang case.  Today we will look at the case of (1) Mr. Anil Gupta and (2) Another. vs. (1) Mr. Kunal Dasgupta and (2) Others - A landmark case, indeed, in the area of protecting ideas and concepts. This case elucidates the dos and don'ts of Idea Protection and Breach of Confidence in the Entertainment Industry. Plaintiff No. 1 - a Media Consultant Defendant No. 2 - a…

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Start-up

Relevance of IP to Business

This post was first published on 6th August, 2013.   It has been made amply clear in this column earlier that Intellectual Property (IP) can be an important tool for businesses to build, consolidate and grow. Having said that, considering the hype given to the subject, it is easy for a SME to misconstrue its potential and value. So, I wish to start this note by reiterating that IP is only one, among many layers that can form part of a company's…

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Open source Licensing

Basic IP Practices for SMEs

This post was first published on August 6th, 2013.   Intellectual Property (IP) can play an important role in taking a SME to the next level in business, provided the company takes the right steps in the right direction. While the nature of IP actions to be undertaken by an organisation varies from company to company, there are some basic practices that every company must take to keep the option of taking advantage of IP, open. The upcoming editions of…

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The image depicts God. If the post is to be believed, the name of God van be trademarked too! Click on the image to read the full post.

Trademarking the Name of God? – Part 1

This post was first published on 2nd September, 2014.   If there is one question that can spark a controversy, it must be this - Is it possible to trademark the name of God? Section 9(2) (b) of the Trade Marks Act, 1999, which deals with Absolute grounds for refusal of registration, mandates that a mark shall not be registered as a trademark if it contains any matter likely to hurt religious susceptibilities of any class or section of the citizens of India.…

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This image depicts a bowl of jamuns. this post explores if jamuns can be patented. Click on the image to read the full post.

Strategy to Patent Jamun

This post was first published on 8th November, 2012. The Jamun patent saga, earlier reported to be the subject of government revocation has spurred discussions and debates across India on various counts, ranging from mode of revocation to CSIR's blind eye to Indian applications. My attempt in this post is not to add another opinion to the existing ones but to bring forth that a composition of Jamun can be susceptible to patent protection.  All of us in India…

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They Are All Honourable Men

This post was first published on 10th July, 2012. The inevitable question once again - "How many IP managers know what they are doing with their IP?" While I am compelled to say all of them, it is sad that very few have a macro level picture. This opinion has not been pulled out of thin air, it is based on IP work of many professionals in the trenches. One reason for this gap, if I may call it…

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