IPR
Two Trademark Applications Filed For 'Cockroach Janata Party'
Two trademark applications have been filed for the phrase “Cockroach Janata Party,” a satirical social media movement that emerged following recent remarks by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a Supreme Court hearing.The hashtag #CockroachJanataParty gained traction on social media after the Chief Justice, while hearing a matter last week, made an observation comparing the...
Evolving IP Or Judicial Overreach? India's Personality Rights Problem
The recent Delhi High Court interim order in Allu Arjun v. Frankly Retail Pvt. Ltd. raises important questions regarding use of IP law principles for protection of personality rights in the age of AI, deepfakes, cloned voices, and unauthorised merchandising.It is noteworthy that the present matter is only the latest in a continuing line of decisions where Indian High Courts have recognised and enforced personality rights in favour of well-known public figures. Similar protective relief has...
Copyright And Trademark Enforcement In Digital Audio Industry: A Case Study Of Pocket FM V. Kuku FM
The case of Pocket FM and Kuku FM has become one of the major public disputes in the Indian audio entertainment space.[1] The dispute began in 2022, when Kuku FM (Mebigo Labs Pvt. Ltd.) sued Pocket FM over accusations that Pocket FM had used Kuku FM's licensed Hindi translation of “Mossad.” Although Pocket FM subsequently deleted the audiobook from its catalogue, this first episode revealed uncertainties related to rights management. The rivalry deepened recently, when Pocket FM itself sued Kuku...
CCI v. Swapan Dey: Who Decides Exclusivity Or Exclusion?
When does the exercise of patent rights become an antitrust violation? The apex court is now poised to answer a question that remains at the intersection of “innovation in a healthy competitive market” and “market regulation.” Recently, in Competition Commission of India v. Swapan Dey & Another,[1] the Supreme Court (SC) has stepped into a core jurisdictional conflict to determine whether the Competition Commission of India (CCI), the chief national antitrust regulator in India, can...
The Silent Capture Of Generic Terms
Indian trademark law insists that generic and descriptive terms must remain in the public domain, yet in practice, resource‑rich proprietors often succeed in fencing off such words through private litigation. In the absence of an institutional guardian of public interest, courts may, case by case, end up reinforcing monopolies over everyday language that the statute itself never intended to privatise. It is necessary that India now needs a dedicated public‑interest authority or structured...
'Will US Authorities Cooperate If Indians Seek Information?' : Supreme Court Asks Pfizer On Plea To Access Indian Company's Docs
The Supreme Court today, while hearing a plea by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, asked whether foreign courts and Western Authorities would cooperate in providing information to India, when it comes to abiding by the principle of reciprocity. The bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing the challenge to the Madras High Court order, which refused Pfizer to enforce...
Business Law Daily Round-Up: January 08, 2026
IBC NCLAT Limits Ansal Properties' Insolvency To Sushant Golf City and Rajasthan ProjectsFunding Rival Bids, Using Same IP Proves Bid Rigging, NCLAT Upholds CCI Penalty Against Klassy EnterprisesCalling Guarantor 'Director' In SARFAESI Notice Doesn't Invalidate Invocation Of Guarantee: NCLATNCLAT Upholds Eviction Of Subsidiaries From Corporate Debtor's Properties During LiquidationBank...
Madras High Court Dismisses Chennai Firm's Plea To Revoke Food Processor Patent Of Dutch Appliance Company
The Madras High Court has dismissed a patent revocation plea filed by Maya Appliances Private Limited, a Chennai-based company, seeking to revoke a food processor patent held by Versuni Holding B.V., a Netherlands-based home appliances company. In an order passed on December 19, 2025, Justice N. Senthilkumar allowed Versuni's application seeking rejection of the revocation proceedings,...
Calcutta High Court Sets Aside Patent Office Order Rejecting US Company's Glass Fibre Patent
The Calcutta High Court has set aside a Patent Office order rejecting a patent application filed by OCV Intellectual Capital LLC, a subsidiary of Owens Corning. The court held that the refusal was passed without proper analysis of novelty and inventive step. A single-judge bench of Justice Ravi Krishan Kapur, in a judgment dated January 6, 2026, held that the Patent Office rejected...
Delhi Commercial Court Bars Faridabad Smoking Paper Maker From Using 'BONGCHIE', 'PERFECT ROLL' Marks
A Commercial Court in Delhi has permanently restrained Ish Nagpal, a Faridabad-based manufacturer, from using the trademarks “BONGCHIE” and “PERFECT ROLL” on smoking paper products. The court made the ruling after counterfeit goods bearing the marks were recovered from his premises. In a judgment dated January 5, 2026, District Judge Harish Kumar of the Commercial Court at Tis...
Madras High Court Orders Removal Of Wipro's 'PREMIO' Trademark On Crompton Greaves Plea
The Madras High Court has ordered the removal of the “PREMIO” trademark registered in favour of Wipro Enterprises Private Limited. The Court found that the mark had not been put to genuine commercial use for more than five years. Justice N Senthilkumar passed the order on December 16, 2025. He allowed a rectification plea filed by Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Limited, a...
Business Law Daily Round-Up: January 07, 2026
IBC HMT Takes Final Step To Close HMT Watches, Files Application With Ministy Of Corporate AffairsNCLT Mumbai Approves Sagacious Capital's Rs 110 Crore Plan To Revive Reliance InnoventuresAvoidance Provisions Under Insolvency Code Are Restorative, Not Punitive: NCLT KochiDelhi High Court Dismisses 'Luxury Litigation' Over Debt Assignment, Reaffirms NCLT Power To Probe FraudHigh Courts...