Intellectual Property

The Delhi High Court on July 27, 2026, granted a dynamic injunction against 30 groups of rogue websites in a copyright infringement suit filed by Home Box Office Inc. (HBO) and its co-plaintiffs in Home Box Office Inc. v. Streamzy.to & Ors. (CS(COMM) 740/2026). Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani issued the ad-interim order restraining the identified websites from streaming, hosting, or making available HBO's copyrighted films and television programmes, while simultaneously craftin

When a trademark application is published in the Trade Marks Journal, it is open for opposition by any person who believes the mark should not be registered. Section 21 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999 governs this opposition process. This guide covers the grounds for opposition, the filing procedure through Form TM-O, timelines, evidence stages, and appeals. What Is Trademark Opposition Trademark opposition is a legal proceeding in which a third party challenges the registration

The Delhi High Court has directed the removal of the teaser, promotional material, and related interviews for the upcoming film "Kala Hiran: The Battle for Legacy," ruling that the content prima facie infringes actor Salman Khan's personality rights. Justice Jyoti Singh, hearing the matter in C.S. (COMM) No. 1322 of 2025, gave the filmmakers a 24-hour deadline to remove the identified content, failing which platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube would have to take

In what is being hailed as India’s first substantive judicial pronouncement on AI training and copyright law, Justice Amit Bansal of the Delhi High Court on July 24, 2026, refused to grant news agency ANI (Asian News International) an interim injunction against OpenAI. The Court held that OpenAI’s storage and use of ANI’s copyrighted news articles to train ChatGPT does not, at the prima facie stage, amount to copyright infringement. The 135-page judgment lays down an analytic

The Commercial Court at Shahdara, Delhi has decreed a trademark infringement suit filed by Havells India Limited, permanently restraining the defendant from manufacturing, printing, marketing, or dealing in counterfeit packaging material bearing the HAVELLS trademark. District Judge Sanjay Sharma-II also directed the defendant to pay over Rs 26 lakh towards damages, punitive damages, and litigation costs. The judgment reinforces the judiciary's robust approach to combating co

The Delhi High Court has granted an ad interim injunction restraining non-banking financial company (NBFC) Naman Finlease and its directors from using the trademarks 'Zepto' and 'Zepto Finance' for their lending business. Justice Jyoti Singh passed the order in a trademark infringement suit filed by the quick-commerce platform Zepto, which argued that the unauthorised use of its coined brand identity was causing severe reputational damage and consumer confusion. The ruling hi

On July 13, 2026, the Delhi High Court allowed L'Oreal SA to amend its suit over the "Garnier Bright Complete" mark to include a trademark infringement claim in addition to the original passing off claim. Justice Jyoti Singh reversed the order of the Saket District Court, which had refused the amendment, holding that the trial court erred in treating L'Oreal's subsequent trademark registration as giving rise to a fresh cause of action that could not be incorporated through am

Design registration in India protects the visual appearance of a product, including its shape, configuration, pattern, ornamentation, or composition of lines and colours. The Designs Act, 2000, and the Design Rules, 2001, govern the registration process. This guide covers the eligibility criteria, the filing procedure, fees, and the timeline for obtaining design registration. What Can Be Registered? A design eligible for registration must be new or original, must not have bee

A registered trademark is a valuable business asset, but the protection it gives is not permanent unless you keep it alive. Knowing how to renew a trademark in India ensures your brand does not lapse and fall open to others. Under Section 25 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999, a registration lasts ten years and can be renewed for further ten-year terms without limit, so renewal is a routine but essential part of brand management. When a Trademark Must Be Renewed A trademark registr

If the Trade Marks Registry raises a concern about your application, knowing how to reply to a trademark objection in India is essential to keep your brand protected. An objection is not a rejection: it is an opportunity to convince the examiner that your mark deserves registration. This guide explains the examination report, the grounds on which objections are raised, and how to file a strong reply within the deadline. What a Trademark Objection Is After you file an applicat

A trademark is any sign capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one enterprise from those of another. It can be a word, logo, symbol, colour combination, shape, sound, or even a smell. Registering a trademark grants the proprietor the exclusive legal right to use that mark in connection with the goods or services for which it is registered, and to prevent others from using a deceptively similar mark. In a market as vast and competitive as India's, trademark registr

Google is not obliged to proactively police advertisements for trademark misuse and operates within a complaint-based system, the Delhi High Court has held while dismissing a contempt petition by DRS Logistics. The judgment, reported as 2026 DHC 5102 and delivered on 15 June 2026 by Justice Tejas Karia, clarifies the duties of online advertising platforms when third parties use registered trademarks as keywords or in ad text. DRS Logistics, which owns marks associated with Ag

The Madras High Court has granted an interim injunction restraining the makers of the Malayalam film Drishyam 3 from releasing its Telugu dubbed version on OTT platforms. Justice K Kumaresh Babu passed the order on June 17, 2026, in a suit filed by Rajkumar Theatre Pvt Ltd, which claims exclusive remake and exploitation rights over the franchise in the Telugu language territory. The movie had been scheduled for OTT release on June 18, making the timing of the court's interven

Filing a patent in India is governed by the Patents Act, 1970, as amended by the Patents (Amendment) Act, 2005, and the Patents Rules, 2003. The Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, operating under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), administers patent registration. India follows a first-to-file system, making timely filing critical. This guide covers the complete process from application to grant. What Can Be Patented in Ind

The Delhi High Court has ruled that the term "GLASS SKIN" is descriptive and cannot function as a trademark for cosmetic products. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, hearing Renee Cosmetics Private Limited v Rupali Sharma and others, held that the expression merely describes a desired outcome of skincare products and is therefore barred from registration under Section 9(1)(b) of the Trade Marks Act, 1999. The ruling has significant implications for branding in the beauty industry. Fo

The Delhi High Court has cancelled a copyright registration for an artistic label, holding that copyright cannot be used as a back door to claim rights over a trademark that is itself disputed. In Fortune Marketing Private Limited v. Gujarat Pesticides and Others, decided on 29 May 2026, the Court revoked the registration of the ZOOOK label and reinforced the safeguards built into India's copyright law. The decision is significant for brand owners because it clarifies the bou

Copyright protects original creative works such as books, articles, music, art, software, films and sound recordings. In India, copyright protection arises automatically the moment an original work is created, but registering the work provides valuable proof of ownership that is useful in disputes and enforcement. This guide explains how to register a copyright in India under the Copyright Act, 1957 and the Copyright Rules, 2013, covering Form XIV, the fees by category of wor

The Ministry of Home Affairs has notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026, introducing a comprehensive digital platform for Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders. The amended rules, which came into effect in April 2026, establish the e-OCI portal as the primary mechanism for OCI registration, renewal, and miscellaneous services. The new framework aims to streamline the OCI process, reduce processing times, and eliminate the requirement for physical visits to Ind

The Supreme Court of India has dismissed Flipkart's special leave petition challenging the Delhi High Court's injunction that restrained the e-commerce giant from using the trademark MARQ and MARQ by Flipkart for its private-label electronics brand. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi declined to interfere with the lower court orders, but granted Flipkart eight weeks to exhaust its existing inventory bearing the impugned mark. The dispute was broug