India: Intellectual Property

Do you remember the moment of buying your last physical book or a vinyl record or a video game cartridge? Had you entered a store and exchanged money for the item which you got home and the object belonged to you.

The Calcutta High Court has ruled that Graphic User Interfaces (GUIs) qualify as protectable designs under India's Designs Act, 2000, rejecting the Controller's narrow interpretation that excluded digital interfaces from registration. The landmark decision establishes that GUIs reflect creative aesthetic choices in visual elements like icons, menus, and color palettes that can be judged by the eye, and clarifies that the term 'article' requires broad interpretation...

The AI will produce this output based on the existing database, and it further keeps tailoring its output based on the user's requirements and personalization, i.e., the AI is trained, firstly, beforehand through a database embedded by the developer; secondly, throughout the user's requirements.

Do you remember the moment of buying your last physical book or a vinyl record or a video game cartridge? Had you entered a store and exchanged money for the item which you got home and the object belonged to you.

In 2026, innovation is no longer defined only by technological capability. It is defined by the ability to commercialise safely, scale confidently, and attract capital without legal disruption.

Urban co-operative banks occupy a peculiar space in India’s financial system. They are locally rooted, member owned institutions with the legal status of banks and the prudential risk of deposit taking entities.

The recent judicial determination in the PISCO geographical indication dispute examines whether Peru can claim exclusive rights to the standalone term 'PISCO' for its alcoholic beverage, or whether both Peru and Chile's long-standing use of the term necessitates geographical qualifiers to prevent consumer confusion.

Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) were once a niche topic for telecom specialists. With 5G, IoT devices, connected cars, smart meters and even “smart” fans in Indian homes, SEP and FRAND disputes...

The Calcutta High Court has ruled that Graphic User Interfaces (GUIs) qualify as protectable designs under India's Designs Act, 2000, rejecting the Controller's narrow interpretation that excluded digital interfaces from registration. The landmark decision establishes that GUIs reflect creative aesthetic choices in visual elements like icons, menus, and color palettes that can be judged by the eye, and clarifies that the term 'article' requires broad interpretation...

In the matter of Bayer Cropscience Limited v Harlal Seeds Private Limited, I.A. No. 222 of 2025 and I.A. No. 225 of 2025 in COS No. 13 of 2025, the Principal Special Court in the Cadre of District Judge for Trial and Disposal of Commercial Disputes at Hyderabad passed two orders dated 11 February 2026:

The convergence of artificial intelligence, sustainability imperatives, rapid digitalisation, and global market integration...

An idea that was once thought of as nothing more than a dream (a physique for a high speed, modern form of travel) is now becoming more and more real every day.