India IP Office Takes Steps to Address Technical and Procedural Issues Encountered in the Processing of Trademark Applications

The Delhi High Court passed an order on December 5, 2019, calling upon the Trademarks Registry to seek recommendations for solutions to various technical and procedural issues encountered in the processing of trademark applications.

Pursuant to this order, INTA was invited to attend a stakeholder meeting chaired by Mr. O.P. Gupta, Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM). The meeting took place on December 11, 2019, at the Intellectual Property Office, New Delhi. In compliance with the High Court order, the CGPDTM posted a notice on its website inviting written submissions.

INTA’s Trademark Office Practices Committee’s India Subcommittee compiled and submitted a comprehensive list of such issues along with recommendations for possible solutions.

Corporate Member Meeting Hosted by Mahindra & Mahindra

On December 13, 2019, INTA held its final quarterly corporate member meeting for 2019. Thirty corporate representatives and guests attended the meeting, which was hosted by INTA member Mahindra & Mahindra at its Mumbai headquarters. The meeting included two presentations.The first presentation, titled “IP Agreements and IP in Agreements,” was presented by Shailendra Bhandare (Khaitan & Co., Mumbai, India). Mr. Bhandare shared key considerations to take into account while negotiating and drafting. He focused on issues including the types of intellectual property (IP) agreements and clauses, various aspects of IP licensing and sale agreements, and how to conduct IP due diligence.

The second presentation was presented by Ranganath Sudarshan (Covington & Burling LLP, USA). During his presentation, titled “Trade Secret ‘Traps for the Unwary,'” Mr. Sudarshan provided an overview of the U.S. trade secret laws that in-house counsel should be aware of when transacting business in the United States. He covered the fundamentals of trade secrets, criminal enforcement of trade secret theft, and recent legal developments, and shared some tips on how to keep trade secrets safe and avoid defensive exposure.

On conclusion of the presentations, speakers encouraged audience members to attend INTA’s 142nd Annual Meeting, which will take place in Singapore from April 25 through 29, 2020.

INTA would like to thank Mr. Naveen Raju, Ms. Shilpa Joshi, Ms. Vibhuti Shah, and the legal team of Mahindra & Mahindra for hosting INTA’s Corporate Member meeting and Mr. Bhandare and Mr. Sudarshan for their presentations.

These meetings are exclusive gatherings of the Association’s corporate members in India. These meetings provide educational insights and updates on the Association’s work and serve as a platform for corporate members to discuss common concerns and benchmark with their in-house counterparts.

INTA India Consultant Gauri Kumar supports the Association’s 188 members in India. In collaboration with staff at INTA’s headquarters in New York City and Representative Offices around the world, Ms. Kumar works on the Association’s policy, membership, marketing, and communications initiatives throughout India. To learn more about INTA’s activities in India, please contact Gauri Kumar at [email protected].

Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of items in the INTA Bulletin, readers are urged to check independently on matters of specific concern or interest.