Introduction A major patent battle [1] has erupted in India between pharmaceutical giants Novo Nordisk and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories over the popular weight loss and diabetes drug semaglutide. Novo Nordisk sued Dr. Reddy’s for manufacturing and exporting its patented drug without consent. This case is significant for the Indian pharmaceutical industry, as its outcome will […]
Opinion-Trading Ads: MPL Challenges ASCI White Paper, Seeks $6mil in Damages On May 23, 2025, Galactus Funware Technology Pvt Ltd, the parent company of Mobile Premier League (MPL), served an 11-page legal notice to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). The notice demands two principal remedies: (i) immediate withdrawal of ASCI’s white-paper Examining Opinion Trading […]
Introduction In KEMIN INDUSTRIES, INC. v. Controller of Patents [1]1, the Madras High Court overturned the rejection of a patent application concerning a method of improving animal feed by supplementing bacterial ferulic acid esterase (FAE) with four specific enzymes. The Patent Office had denied the application under Sections 2(1)(j), 3(d), and 3(i) of the Patents […]
Introduction On 15th March 2024, the Indian Patent Office (IPO) published the Patent (Amendment) Rules, 2024. Notably, Rules 137 and 138—relating to the Controller’s powers to condone procedural irregularities and extend deadlines were significantly amended. These changes clarify which specific irregularities can now be condoned by the Controller and which deadlines are eligible for extension. […]
Introduction On May 27, 2025, in Zeria Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. v. Deputy Controller of Patents and Designs1, the Delhi High Court upheld the refusal of divisional patent, affirming that minor structural modifications of known pharmaceutical compounds—especially intermediates—must still demonstrate enhanced therapeutic efficacy to be patentable under Section 3(d) of the Indian Patents Act, 1970. The […]
Introduction On June 10, 2025, in TikTok Limited v. Registrar of Trade Marks , the Bombay High Court made a significant ruling, backing the Registrar of Trade Marks’ decision to deny the registered mark “TikTok” the status of a “well-known mark” under Indian Trademark Act. The court’s decision to uphold this refusal is particularly noteworthy […]
Introduction On March 25, 2025, the Delhi High Court denied the request of F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG for an interim injunction against Natco Pharma in a high-stakes pharmaceutical patent dispute in F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ag & Anr. vs Natco Pharma Limited [1]1. At issue was Roche’s species patent on “Risdiplam,” a life-saving drug for Spinal […]
Introduction India’s regulatory landscape for biologic and biosimilar medicines continues to evolve. In response to scientific advances and accumulated regulatory experience, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) have jointly released the Draft Guidelines on Similar Biologics – Regulatory Requirements for Marketing Authorization in India, 2025. These proposed guidelines […]
In a significant judgment dated April 22, 2025, the Calcutta High Court (Original Side, Intellectual Property Rights Division) allowed Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. v. Controller General of Patents, Designs, and Trademarks [1]1, emphatically setting aside a 40-page rejection order passed by the Controller of Patents. The Court held that the application had been rejected not […]
A recent decision by the Supreme Court of India in Cryogas Equipment Pvt. Ltd. v. Inox India Ltd. sheds light on a long standing ambiguity in intellectual property (IP) law: can technical engineering drawings used in manufacturing can be protected under copyright law, or whether they fall under design law instead? Background In 2018, Inox […]