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Talking Walking Stick – Blind Patents 1

This post was first published on 19th August, 2014. Every blind person aspires to live a life of independence, a life of freedom and free will, a life free from intrusion, physical and psychological. Some patented inventions have attempted to enhance this very independence, and I will, in my upcoming posts, endeavor to take an unbiased look at some of them. In 1991, Hsieh Chi-Sheng filed a patent for an electronic talking stick for the blind. Before we get into details, one must understand…
July 25, 2019 Intellectual Property, Patents 0Comment 968Views 0Like
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A Peek into the Central Board for Film Certification

This post was first published on 2nd September, 2014.   What is the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)? The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, regulating public exhibition of films under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act, 1952. Films can be publicly exhibited in India only after they have been certified by the CBFC. What is its constitution? The Board consists of non-official members and a Chairman (all of whom…
July 25, 2019 Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law 0Comment 573Views 0Like
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This image depicts a person wearing a black glass. This image is relevant as the post is about Wearable navigation assistance for the vision-impaired. Click on the image for more information

Sense your Surroundings – Patents for the Blind 5

This post was first published on 15th September, 2014.   In my earlier posts (Post1, Post2, Post3, Post4), we discussed the mobility of a visually disabled person that is directly proportional to his awareness of the environment. The more he knows about his surroundings, the easier it gets for him to move around. An issue in achieving this, is the extent of the person's sensory involvement. Most blind people use auditory signals to understand the state of the environment and a navigation device is…
July 25, 2019 Intellectual Property, Patents 0Comment 581Views 0Like
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Salient Features of the US Patent Reform Act 2011

This post was first published on 15th September, 2011. The patent reform bill is now awaiting approval from the President to become the law of the land.  The bill proposes many changes to the existing US Patent Act.   Below listed are few important provisions included in the bill: First-Inventor-To-File: US patent system will now operate on first-inventor-to-file instead of its earlier operation system which was first-to-invent. The first-inventor-to file system provides certainty with respect to the invention date thereby…
July 25, 2019 Patents 0Comment 635Views 0Like
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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…
July 25, 2019 Intellectual Property, Patents 0Comment 1500Views 0Like
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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…
July 25, 2019 Copyrights, Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law 0Comment 683Views 0Like
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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…
July 25, 2019 Copyrights, Intellectual Property, IP Commercialization/Licensing, Open Source Licensing 0Comment 782Views 0Like
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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…
July 25, 2019 Copyrights, Intellectual Property 0Comment 2692Views 0Like
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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…
July 25, 2019 Intellectual Property, IP for Start Ups 0Comment 554Views 0Like
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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.…
July 25, 2019 Intellectual Property, Trademarks 0Comment 1863Views 0Like
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