Celebrating 20 Years of IP Excellence

Featured image is of the silhouette of a woman doing yoga which is part of yoga logo, as the post is about Yoga related patents. To read the post click here.

Get Dressed Up for Yoga Day: Patented Yoga Products

Yoga day is the next cool thing in June this year. How about buying some patented products to celebrate this big day? Here are your options: Yoga meditation/savasana robe (US 20140082818 A1) : This invention is a garment for yoga practitioners during the final relaxation stage and/or during meditation and also for people who do not practice yoga, but, want to begin meditation or meditate more often or more intently and intensely. Yoga pants with padded knees (US 20090293167 A1) : This…

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The featured image is of a Monsanto facility in Netherlands, as the post in about Monsanto, to read the post click here.

You (don’t) sow what you reap : Monsanto Corporation and Patent Enforcement

Imagine making a seed which is tolerant to herbicide through genetic engineering? The word ‘making a seed’ itself sounds a bit obscure does it not? But that’s what Monsanto Corporation does. Monsanto Corporation Inc. is a company which only a few have heard of in India, unless you’re in the agriculture & biotechnology field, but this company is one of the largest biotechnology giants in United States and Canada. They are a leading producer in the field of genetically engineered (GE)…

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The Amazing Race: US and India Patent Statistics

The Amazing Race: US and India Patent Statistics

Half the year is gone, and we, as usual, were curious to find out who are all in the race to top the patent charts this year. We found an article that gives a comprehensive view of the US patent statistics and list of top contenders (in terms of number of granted patents and published patents). So, we performed a search to identify details of patent activity of the top 10 in the lists provided by Sqoop. The search methodology…

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Featured image is of a computer code, as the post is based on it. To read the post click here

Copyright V. Privacy – Flash, Airtel, GitHub and Tejesh

Tejesh, based out of Bangalore, had allegedly discovered that browsing  on Airtel's 3G network was being slowed down by code that helps Airtel generate revenue from data services offered by the telecom service provider. After making the discovery, Tejesh posted the code along with screen shots on Git Hub. In response, Flash Networks, the owner of the code sent a cease and desist notice to Tejesh alleging copyright infringement. It also sent a DMCA take down notice to Git Hub,…

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Featured image is of jazz artist Billie Holiday as she sang the most famous version of "These Foolish Things", the song on which the post is based. To read the post click here

Copyright Dispute between Music Publishers

  American music publisher, Bourne Co., co-founded in 1919 by songwriter Irving Berlin, has initiated a copyright dispute lawsuit before the New York Supreme County Court against the UK-based Booey & Co. Ltd. alleging conspiracy to deprive Bourne Co. of its share of rights in the highly popular song ‘These Foolish Things’ written by Eric Maschwitz and  Jack Strachey. Released in 1936, renditions of the song were recorded by various artists including Billie Holiday, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald as well as…

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Featured image reads Patents, as the post is about patent infringement. To read the post click here.

Filing a PCT Application in India? Get your FFL ready!

Under Section 39 of the Indian Patents Act, 1970, an Indian resident is required to file his invention first in India, and only after a period of six weeks from the date of filing, a filing could be done for the same invention outside India. Alternatively, the Indian resident could file Form-25 with prescribed fee, requesting the Controller for a Foreign Filing License (FFL), and can go ahead with such filling after obtaining the license . If the invention is proved to be relevant…

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Featured image of peps Spine guard mattress is used, as the post is about a trademark issue related to this. To read the post click here.

Peps Industries Vs. Shakti Mattresses & Gears

  The Delhi High Court has passed an ex-parte interim injunction against Shakti Mattresses & Gears Pvt. Ltd. on 29th May 2015, to restrain from dealing in the goods and services, under the mark ‘SPINE GUARD’, which is a registered trademark of the plaintiff, Peps Industries Pvt. Ltd. To briefly state the facts, the Plaintiff, Peps Industries Pvt. Ltd., is engaged in the business of manufacturing, marketing and sale of sleep comfort products such as mattresses, pillows, cushions, sofas, beds and…

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Featured image is of a Zara Store in Sydney, as the post is about the Zara trademark and how it got its name. To read more click here.

This town isn’t enough for the two of us : Zara Trademark Dispute

This conflict is between a world-renowned luxury-clothing brand and a renowned restaurant and bar in a city. The Delhi High Court decided the trademark infringement tussle in favor the luxury brand ZARA, not because it is celebrated around the world but simply to protect the brand’s trademark rights. ZARA, an internationally reputed brand, the plaintiff sued Zara Tapas Bar for trademark infringement and sought injunction restraining the defendant from infringement, passing off and dilution of its trademark. The plaintiff contended…

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Featured is a picture of a quote by Eric Fromm, "Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties". To read the full post click here.

Intellectual Property, Creativity and Madness

Creativity forms the foundation of intellectual property and intellectual property law. The latter has no existence in the absence of the former. We, Intellectual Property (IP)/Patent attorneys, earn our bread and butter from creators and inventors. One of the joys of being an intellectual property attorney is the opportunity to work with geniuses. While the opportunity leaves one happy and contented on most days, IP attorneys once in a while come across personalities, very difficult to handle. Many a time,…

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Featured image is of the Apple Inc logo on glass walls of an Apple Store. This is related to the post as it is about Apple's new patent Apply Pay. Click here to read the full post.

Apple’s Swift will be Open Source

  It has been reported that Apple's new programming language Swift, which is now in its second version will be made available as open source software (OS) under a permissive license. However, the specific license under which it will be made available as OS has not been specified. Some bloggers are of the opinion that it would most probably be available under Apache or another BSD style license. Over the last five years, flexible licenses have taken over the viral GPL…

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