Amendments Made to Canadian Trademark Law on 17th June 2019

Countries, no matter whether to strengthen the existing trademark protection or to include additional rules, often bring changes in their trademark laws. Almost all of us know how crucial role the trademark law plays in the protection of Intellectual Property (IP) assets. By providing relevant and robust trademark rights, it helps the owners in not just preventing unauthorized users from using their unique creation but also creating goodwill among customers. However, to obtain expected results, it is crucial to stay up-to-date with the reforms made in such laws and their corresponding rights. Here, in this article, you’ll be going to get updated with the recent changes in the Trademark Law of Canada.

  1. Availability of Madrid Applications

Canadian applicants from now would be able to file the Trademark Applications in over eighty (80) countries worldwide just through a single international filing. With this new opportunity, it will be easy for Canadian applicants to manage their international trademark portfolios.

Similarly, applicants from the Madrid Protocol nations will be able to designate Canada in not just their International Trademark Applications but also existing Madrid registrations. Moreover, the incoming protocol applications would charge similar to the national applications – as per the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO).

  1. Increase in Filing and Renewal Fees

Filing Fees

Previously, CIPO tends to charge a fee of $250 for filing a trademark application encompassing any number of classes of products and services, along with $200 as the trademark registration fee. Nevertheless, to apply for a trademark after June 17, the applicant has to pay the filing fee of 330 CAD for the first class of products or services, along with 100 CAD for each additional class of products or services. For all these applications, the trademark registration fee is eliminated.

Renewal Fees

The renewal fee has been increased to 400 CAD from 350 CAD for the first class of products and services with an additional 125 CAD charges for each new class of products and services.

  1. Declarations of Use Is No Longer Required

After 17th June, Declarations of Use is no longer required for Trademark Registration in Canada. Note that this change applies to not just applications filed after June 17 but also applications pending as of this date. It means that all the applications filed before June 17, 2019, can proceed to trademark registration in Canada (once the opposition period expires) simply with payment of registration fee, without filing the Declaration of Use.

  1. Information Regarding Use Is No Longer Needed

Applicants filed the trademark applications on or after 17th June need not indicate whether he/she has previously used the trademark in Canada or abroad. In other words, the applications filed on or after this date are applicable to get approved even if they do not tell whether the concerned applicant has registered and used the Trademark in Canada or foreign countries.

  1. Nice Classification Appears Mandatory

As per June 17th amendments, all the new applications must be filed with Nice classifications. Moreover, the pending applications that have not yet advertised for objection/opposition purposes must be classified. Note that for unclassified registrations, the CIPO will request the Nice classification upon renewal.

Although this requirement of the Nice classification is expected to bring Canada more in line with the international norms, it does not mean that CIPO will become lenient in its practice of reviewing goods and services descriptions. All the goods and services must still be adequately specified under stringent standards set by CIPO.

Are You Getting Ready for Trademark Registration under Amended Law?

In the days after the reforms came into force, you as an owner, who’s looking for trademark registration in Canada should emphasize taking immediate steps, based on appropriate and up-to-date information. It will help you in saving costs in processes like filing multi-class applications, renewing multi-class registrations, etc. Besides, you must also think about streamlining your portfolio management. You should focus on using the Madrid international filing system and filing applications for non-traditional and international trademarks. For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com

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How’s the Patent Application Process in India Affected by 2019’s Amendments?

The Indian government, along with administrators and several Intellectual Property Law Firms in India, has recently taken a considerable step to motivate inventors to get involved in more and useful inventions. With this welcome move by the concerned authorities, the Patent Application Process in India has become not just cheaper but easier as well.

The Patent Amendment Rules 2019, which came into force on 17th September, reflect the below-given four major changes: 

  1. Submission of Original Documents Only Upon Request

Although the Indian Patent Office in 2016 had dismissed the requirement to provide hard copies of the patent forms and specification while applying for Patent Registration in India, certain documents were still needed to be submitted at the IPO in their original form. Some such documents include the Power of Authority, verified English translations of Priority and PCT documents, etc.

Under the unamended rules, the applicants need to submit the original documents at the IPO within 15 days from the day of their online submission. Nonetheless, as per the rules amended in 2019, the applicants no longer have to do so. They can file their duly authenticated documents only by electronic transmission. The exception where original documents are required to be submitted within fifteen (15) days of a request is if the IPO asks the applicant for the same.

  1. Women and Many Others Can Enjoy Expedited Examination

In 2016, the government added the Patent Application Process in India with the provision of expedited examination. Under the unamended rules, this provision had limited the number of applications to be examined within twelve months, i.e., the expedited period. Moreover, it was open for only two categories of applicants, including:

  • Start-ups,
  • Applicants who mention India as an International Searching Authority (ISA) or an International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) in their applications

The amended rules concerning the provision of expedited examination have come up as a beneficial change for many other applicants, like:

  • Small entities
  • Female applicants
  • Government entities, such as:
  • Different government departments
  • Institutions wholly or largely financed by the government
  • Institutions established by the Central, Provincial, or State Act
  • Government companies as specified in Section 2(45) of the Companies Act, 2013
  • Applicants who are suitable to process patent applications compatible with agreements amid IPO and a foreign Patent Office.
  1. Form 28 Needs to be filed

As the amended rules say, the start-ups now have to submit documents supporting their start-up status along with Form 28, each time whether they file a request, form, or document at IPO. The filing of such documentary evidence claiming start-up status will prove helpful in ensuring that the applicant is eligible for claiming the suitable deduction in the fee.

  1. Zero (0) Transmittal Fee

As discussed above, the amended rules have made the Patent Application Process in India easier as well as cheaper. Under these rules, the previously applicable transmittal fee for PCT applications at the IPO through the e-filing module has been abandoned. Additionally, the applicants don’t have to pay fees for the certified copies of priority documents and their e-transmission by the WIPO Digital Access System (DAS). Even the costs for filing PCT and convention applications have been reduced.

Before 2019’s amendments, i.e., under unamended rules, the applicants were required to pay a transmittal fee of INR 3200 for start-ups, INR 8000 for small entities, and INR 16,000 for corporates. Furthermore, fees of INR 1000 for start-up, INR 2500 for small entities, and INR 5000 for corporates for receiving a certified copy of a priority document with around 30 pages were applicable under unamended rules.

Wrapping Up:

These recently amended rules will undoubtedly be going to increase the number of patent filings in India as they are providing opportunities to women, small entities, etc., in addition to those who are eligible to file patent applications and get Patent Registration in India before amendments. Moreover, these ensure easier and cheaper patent application process that ultimately buzz off the applicants’ hesitation, thus making them confident to file their applications without any worry. Hence, we can say that this welcome move by the government of India will benefit not only the people but also the nation. For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com

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CII Reports Intellectual Property Can Be Valuable Collateral for Financing

The 5th edition of CII’s (Confederation of Indian Industry) flagship annual Intellectual Property (IP) conference focused on creating IP-led technology for a $5 trillion economy has recently released a report showing global examples to represent the virtues of using IP as collateral for financing.

Visualized by CII and co-created by Duff & Phelps, the report said that being the third-largest economy for start-ups in the IP industry, including technology and pharmaceuticals, India is standing at the verge of IP revolution. Although the government initiatives like the release of the National IPR Policy in 2016 to spur interest in Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) commercialization have been institutionalized, India’s IP financing process is still quite slow.

What are the reasons for the slow pace of IP financing In India? As the report said, unwillingness to treat IP as a business asset, challenges in IP licensing, lack of uniformity in the valuation of IPs, insufficient market, and legal infrastructure to monetize IP assets are some of the main reasons for the slow pace of IP financing in the country.

What is IP-backed financing? IP-backed financing refers to the approach of using IP assets to achieve access to credit. Nowadays, more and more MNCs (Multinational Corporations) and SMEs (Small and Medium Sized Enterprises) are selling their IP assets in exchange for finance. Besides, lending institutions worldwide are considering IP as collateral while extending loans. In general, IP assets are used to secure asset-based loans. However, if collateralized, then they can be used to increase the available credit. Note that in the cases where borrowers guarantee their IP, no matter patents, trademarks, or copyright, as collateral, the collateral pool upsurges in value and potential for a successful loan. In simple words, with ideas and innovations emerging as the key driver of the businesses, financing base that supports the IP’s commercialization is remarkably crucial.

Mr.Arvind Thakur, Chairman, CII National Committee on Intellectual Property & Senior Advisor to the Board, NIIT Technologies, while commenting on the report, said that using IP as collateral will help the industries and banks to develop a good understanding of the subject matter and gain profits.

He continued by saying that according to CII’s belief, IPRs should be at the central stage for competing in the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a meaningful way. Moreover, it is expected that this would open new scopes of financing in India.

Following Mr.Arvind, Aviral Jain, Managing Director Valuation Advisory Services and Co-Head, Restructuring, Duff & Phelps, said that the nation needs to have a mechanism for obtaining financial support and a robust marketplace. India can take lessons from IP friendly nations such as Korea and Singapore that have taken steps to create an IP financing ecosystem. The schemes introduced to flourish the IP sector in these countries benefit SMEs, Start-ups, and even lending institutions.

Other Key Findings of this Recently Launched Report Are As Follows:

  • When the regulatory environment is emerging globally, and initiatives to give impetus to IP-based financing are underway, economies like Singapore display a sophisticated regulatory environment and a robust infrastructure for IP financing.
  • Over the past five years, IP financing transactions in areas where IP is used as collateral have declined globally.
  • There’s an increase in global PE (private equity) funds that are not just investing in IP-based companies but also helping to protect IP in certain situations. For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com

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TCS Reports Current Patent Laws Are Inadequate for AI-related IP

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest software exporter in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), has recently reported that despite the evolution of Patent Laws in India and abroad, the increasing proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) across the world requires new policies for Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) enforcement.

The report found that the current patent laws treat AI software-based inventions as logical algorithms implemented in the computer systems. Although patent eligibility of algorithms is valid, there is not enough about how to handle inventions with heuristic nature.

What is Heuristic?

In AI, heuristic refers to a technique to solve problems faster than the classical methods. The report cited that AI software is no longer bound to traditional rule-based systems, and in fact, has increasingly turned heuristic, thus showing higher intelligence over classical systems.

The report explained that as per the current patent laws – someone, typically a natural person (in legal terms – an individual instead of one associated with a public or private body) who only applies the logic to make anything workable cannot be an inventor.

It also clarified that machines are frequently deriving solutions to problems autonomously or in conjunction with a natural person, thus bringing the definition of a ‘natural person’ in question. Besides, it emphasized that this issue needs to be addressed by state laws and enterprises. Moreover, data-privacy and data-ownership issues, which would have severe legal implications, are other aspects that require fresh debates.

The report further noted that in the global ecosystem involving multiple players, data is not just accessed but also moved across jurisdictions many times. The data ownership holder or the data owner or the AI scientist who owns the IP rights on an invention is at the forefront of the debate.

It then revealed that AI is helping to develop new mechanisms and doctrines for future IP ecosystems. As the study recommended – the present administrators of Intellectual Property Right in India and outside have to address the IP management at three levels.

  • At the data level: In the form of access to accurate and high-quality data
  • At the IP system level: For enabling the IP systems with AI-based solutions
  • At the people level: To empower people to realize the merits of AI in the IP domain.

At last, the report informed that IBM, Microsoft, Toshiba, Samsung, and NEC were the top five patent applicants. Nonetheless, the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), dealing in deep learning (DL) with 235 patent families, held the largest patent portfolio worldwide – the report found. For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com

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Apple’s Patent for Wraparound Display Hints Possibility for New iPhone

Apple, an American multinational technology company, has revived its interest in an old patent that details a mysterious wraparound display. In March 2013, Apple had filed a Patent Application that features an ambiguous device having a glass body and a display looping around the body. Since then, the company has filed thirteen patent applications revolving around the design of this device. The recent patent that details some changes in the design of the device is a continuation of the previous ones.

As far as display and body are concerned, Apple has always had a glass display and a metal body. Undoubtedly, some plastic derivatives at the middle and lower-end were also used for the rear panel, and there have been smartphones’ models with the display on, but a complete wrap-around is something no one has seen so far. Although the concept of wraparound display technology has been available with Samsung and Xiaomi also, no commercial model with such design is accessible in the market.

The changes in the latest patent showcase virtual volume keys, rather than the traditional physical buttons. They also show that the device includes a top bezel that further consists of an earpiece and many other essential sensors in addition to a narrow bottom bezel. The device doesn’t hold the notch, which most of the recent iPhones do.

The wraparound display described in the patent application indicates that the expected device will be an all-glass affair having the display on both sides of the phone. It even suggests that this could be Apple’s answer to a foldable phone. That may appear a little far-fetched as a foldable smartphone when unfolded converts it into a tablet.

Nonetheless, it is noticeable that the sketches in the patent application detail the original 2013’s design so that the company can update it for a future release to keep up with the prevailing design trends. However, with Apple too, it is highly unlikely that the firm will unveil an iPhone with a wraparound display or the iPhone 12 (to be launched next fall) will have this updated design.

We should consider that this is just a patent, which may exist as it is for several years. It is also possible that Apple may never come up with this device as the company files multiple patent applications each month, and it’s a continuous process. Indeed, various concepts and designs for which it gets the patents don’t see the light of the day. For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com

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A brief about Geographical Indications and Designation of Origin

Having a wide range of applications in Intellectual Property (IP) regimes of several countries worldwide, Geographical Indication (GI) is a sign, symbol, or name used on products to indicate that they have originated from a specific geographical locality and possess qualities, characteristics, and reputation attributable to their origin. GI not just functions as quality marks that improve export markets and revenues but also provides a precise source of origin. In this way, it prevents unauthorized users or manufacturers from manufacturing and selling fake products, i.e., products that don’t meet the applicable standards in regards to that origin. For instance, as Darjeeling tea holds a GI tag, its producers have a complete right to prevent the use of the term Darjeeling for the tea products, which are either not produced as per the standards set by the GI law or not grown in their jurisdictions. Though geographical indication protection doesn’t provide the right to prevent others from using the same technique or procedure to manufacture products similar to those that have been granted GI tags, yet it is beneficial in protecting unauthorized use of sign, symbol, or a name that constitutes indication.

Now, if we talk about the designation of origin, it refers to a special kind of protection and implies exclusive or essential natural and human factors of the geographical environment leading to specific characteristics and quality of products and services. It grants protection to the names or signs indicating that a product or service originates from a specific geographical region.

Why Should Geographical Indications and Designation of Origin be protected?

Protection of GIs and designation of origin under the Intellectual Property Law is crucial to evade unauthorized use and infringement. Prevention of such unlawful use will ultimately contribute to increasing the commercial value and reputation of the products and services. Moreover, it also benefits the general public and consumers. For instance, by promoting good business practices and fair market competition, protected GIs will help the customers to buy the precise products. Furthermore, by retaining the active workforce and stimulating family farms, especially in rural areas for developing specific and traditional products and services, the protection of these signs is favorable to economic development as well.

How Should the Protection of Geographical Indications be granted?

The protection of GIs under IP should be granted through a relevant registration procedure. GIs are often protected under national laws and following a wide range of concepts, like laws for the protection of certification marks, laws against unfair competition, consumer protection laws, or special laws for the protection of geographical indications or designations of origin. The Geographical Indication Protection provides the owner with the right to prevent third parties from using the authorized indication on or for the products or services that do not conform to the applicable standards and can be obtained by acquiring right over the sign or name that constitutes the indication. Once registered, the GI and designation of origin may be used collectively by any of the producers (who meet the requirements) from the specific locality.

Contrary to other sorts of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) like a trademark, patent, Industrial Design, and more, the legal systems taking care of this field may differ from state to state. One other considerable fact about geographical indication or designation of origin is that these are often used with producers’ sign or logo that can be protected under trademark with a perspective to focus on the individual character and common characteristics of products’ origin.

Protection of GI tags and designation of origin not just prohibits infringement issues but also builds a remarkable reputation worldwide. It then motivates the consumers to buy the GI products, along with visiting the regions where these commodities are being produced or made, and that ultimately benefit both the producers and nations by enhancing the tourism of those areas. For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com

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DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act): Everything You Need to Know

Since the internet began, people have uploaded and published over a trillion gigabytes of digital content that includes music, games, movies, and much more. The rapid advancements in the digital age and the internet have undoubtedly served content creators and publishers with lots of opportunities to make profits and revenue but along with challenges such as violation of their data online. Indeed, Copyright Infringement is one of the biggest challenges that the digital world faces in the present era. To stop the continuous increase in widespread unlawful access to copyrighted materials observed in the 1990s, the US government put a step and came up with a law called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Abbreviated as DMCA, this law is a result of the teamwork of legislators, media firms, and consumer lawyers, and enacted by the US Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton in 1998. The law was made on request of many organizations requested for a legal process by which holder of Copyright Website, content, or image could assert their rights to prevent the illegal use of their media. Apart from providing the copyright holders with these facilities, DMCA aims to maintain a balance between the interests of original owners and those who want to purchase the copyrighted materials. It also takes care of penalties to be put on offenders who intentionally violate any Intellectual Property (IP).

DMCA Takedown Notice

Resting as the main component of DMCA law, DMCA takedown notice is an official notification to inform the firm, search engine, web host, or internet service provider (ISP) that they are using copyrighted material. As, in the legal sense, such use is unlawful and leads to copyright infringement, the site or company who receives this notice should immediately take down the specific material. In case they avoid doing so, the ISP could forcefully remove the copyrighted content. You can send the DMCA notice or request for the following types of copyright content:

  • Videos,
  • Digital software,
  • Artwork, images, photos,
  • Posts on your official websites,
  • Songs, music, and almost every kind of audio files,
  • Written texts, including books, poetry, articles, blogs, etc.

Registration of Work Isn’t Necessary

When it comes to write or send a DMCA notice, it is not mandatory to register your work. Any unique content becomes its owner’s IP as soon as he/she creates it. And, as the original owner holds the copyright to it from the moment of its creation, he/she can send a DMCA notice in regards to it without bothering about Copyright Registration. DMCA takedown request is one of the politest ways to prevent infringement of any unregistered material, but don’t forget that if you want to go for a copyright infringement lawsuit, then it is essential to register your content with the copyright office.

Procedure to Create DMCA Notice

As per the law, there is no official DMCA takedown notice form or template that copyright owners are needed to use. However, to make the requests valid, each plaintiff (sender of the notice) must consider including certain specifications. Besides providing info that showcases the copyright infringement, the notice should include:

  • All the details related to the content that’s being infringed
  • A statement that the sender has a good faith that the party on the receiving end has infringed his/her content
  • A statement that under penalty of perjury, every detail provided in the takedown notice is precise
  • Sender’s contact information
  • Sender’s physical or electronic signature

Don’t Worry If You Receive a DMCA Takedown Notice

Considering the legal standing, receiving a DMCA takedown notice undoubtedly sounds a bit scary, but being worried or scared is not at all a solution. What you should do in such cases is first of all calm down and be honest to yourself. After that, think whether or not you infringed the copyrighted material intentionally. Usually, there are high possibilities that you didn’t steal or post the content intentionally. Nevertheless, if you find yourself guilty of infringing the material, then rectifying your mistake will be the best solution. Be quick to locate and take down the violated content as soon as you could. In some cases where you host multiple websites with various people posting and sharing content, there are probabilities that you receive the notice as the next logical person to contact while the infringement was committed by any of those people. Other likelihoods could be that you are using the copyrighted content cautiously within the boundaries of Fair Use. If that’s so, then contact the sender of the notice and share the details of how you used his/her content. It will help you in sorting the issue with ease.

Conclusion

Nowadays, when powerful tools like DMCA are here to help you fight back the infringers, there is no need to stand like helpless in situations when they steal or use your copyrighted content. When these tools have been designed to serve you, then why not utilize them and extract the benefits that you deserve. From today onwards, be active and understand the rights you hold over your copyrighted content and ways to utilize them in the best possible manner. In the case of any query, feel free to contact an experienced IP Attorney. You can also contact an Intellectual Property Law Firm with good experience in rendering services related to the IP industry. For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com

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Where Does India Rank in Global Intellectual Property Filings?

Due to the rapidly growing technology making it easy to generate new ideas, create unique products, and enhance creativity, almost every individual and organization is striving to come up with something that can profit them. Nevertheless, this phenomenon results in increasing the competition that, in turn, leads to issues like copying and infringement of one another’s valuable assets. In this instance, Intellectual Property Protection appears as the best source to keep a person’s assets secure, and this is why Intellectual Property (IP) filing activities are continuously growing. Indeed, almost every nation in the world is witnessing an increase in IP filings. For instance, India, with a remarkable rise in trademark, industrial design, and patent filings, has achieved the top tenth rank among 49 countries positioned based on the total IP filing (resident and abroad) activities. As per the reports, the nation saw a hike of more than 20% in trademark filings, 13.6% in the industrial design fillings, and 7.5% in the applications for getting Patent Protection.

When it comes to overall, i.e., global upsurge in the IP filings, patent applications exceeded 3.3 million, which represents a growth of 5.2% in comparison to 2017. Trademark Applications totaled 14.3 million, up 15.5%, and Industrial Design filing projects amounted to 1.3 million. With around 50% of the total IP filings, including trademarks, designs, and patents, China has made the maximum increase in the global IP filings. In comparison to the IP applications filed in 2017, China observed over 160,400 more filings in the year 2018.

Though the second rank achiever – the US saw trademark filing activities rise by 4.3% yet a 1.6% decline in patent filings in 2018 is a concerning fact. It is the first fall that the country came across in the previous decade.

Asia has been developing as the universal hub for IP applications, according to Francis Gurry, WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) director-general.

Domestic Patent Applications, in India, reached 34% in 2018-19 from just 22% in 2013-14. As per the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) report – including, information technology (IT), computer science, and science, almost every industry is adding to the significant rise in overall IP filings of the country. For example – Wipro and TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) – the two IT firms were positioned at first and second place respectively while the seven-year-old-startup Hike was ranked third in terms of applying for patents in the field of IT. Moreover, the India-based Kalvin Bharti Mittal-led firm has filed 66 patents. Although the company till now has not revealed the reason behind filing such a wide range of patent applications, it has been working in the field of research and development (R&D), encompassing Computer Vision, Social Network Analysis, and Natural Language Processing (NLP). The recently launched Hike Patent Program by the firm focus on incentivizing its employees with grants and rewards besides giving legal and market directions to patent filers.

In addition to the firms mentioned above, several other enterprises and entrepreneurs are actively participating in patent filings in India. It puts light on the fact that the individuals, as well as companies, comprehend the crucial role intellectual property fillings play in their professional lives. Well, it enables them to knowingly or unknowingly contribute to the growth of the nation’s IP filings. Furthermore, the government is also realizing the importance of encouraging the citizens to come up with new inventions, designs, etc., and thus, go for more and more IP fillings. And to make this happen in large numbers, the departments are continuously making efforts; for example – the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has recently proposed a reduction to Rs. 1,600 from Rs. 4,000 in Patent filing fees for startups and MSMEs.

Finally, with the growing usage of the internet and technology and nearly 60% of the Indian population to be young minds, it is possible to bring the nation among the top five IP fillings countries in the world in the future. Nonetheless, as the boost in the innovations will increase the IP filings and vice-versa, it is not at all the responsibility of the government or citizens alone to make efforts for this. Instead, both should help each other as it is the matter of securing the entire country’s IP assets and filing ranking. For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com

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An Overview on Protection of Industrial Design in India

“A thing of beauty” – the poem that gives a message that beauty of a thing is a joy forever and never turns into nothingness has a great significance in today’s world where the appearance of a product counts more than its quality and utility. In the present age, most people select products, which attract them with the beauty of their designs. Besides, the liberalization and globalization have flooded the Indian markets with a wide variety of products, thus providing the consumers with numerous alternatives for whatever commodity they want. It has ultimately made consumers more selective. Therefore, the producers have to not only prove the reliability of their products but also satisfy the consumers’ aesthetic appetite. That’s why creators nowadays spend large capital on designs that enhance their products’ appearance, which then catches the attention of viewers/consumers. In other words, outer appearance/design plays an imperative role in the market by increasing the competitiveness of the product’s owner and enhancing societal life. Hence, the Industrial Product Design protection is essential to reward the owners’/designers’ creativity, encourage their future contributions, and prevent others from making earnings on their creations.  

Industrial Design Protection: Indian Law Perspective

As per the Intellectual Property Law in India, industrial design protection under Design Act 2000 refers to a type of Intellectual Property Right (IPR) that gives the exclusive rights to make, use, and sell products embodying the protected design to the selected people only. In general, these protection rights have a life span of 10 years, but if needed, the owner can get them renewed for an additional time slot of five (5) years. Industrial design protection is for the shape, color, line, configuration, and surface pattern that either improves the visual appearance or increases the aesthetics of the design.

Requirements to be met for Obtaining Design Protection

To attain the protection under Indian law, a design must:

  • Be non-obvious,
  • Associate with shape, pattern, ornamentation, or configuration of any product
  • Suffice the novelty and originality, that is, before the date of applying for the registration, the design should not be published or used anywhere
  • Be non-contrary, i.e., doesn’t hurt the feelings of anyone.

Procedure to Obtain Industrial Design Protection

In India, almost every design application is filed before the Design registry. It is advisable to proceed to the application filing after recognizing the class/category of the design to be protected. Once identified the class, you can go for either paper filing or online filing. After the application has been filed, it will be examined by the concerned office, which can issue objections following the examination report. You have to respond to the objections within three months. The office, if finds the response satisfactory, will grant the protection, which will rest with you for ten years. 

Designs that Can’t Get Protection

The Industrial Design Protection in India doesn’t protect the designs:

  • Opposing to others moral values
  • Describing the process of construction of an object
  • Related to the appearance of books, calendars, jackets, certificates, forms, dressmaking patterns, greeting cards, leaflets, maps, plan cards, postcards, stamps, and medals.
  • Associated with flags, emblems, or national symbols/signs of any country
  • Of integrated circuits.

Importance of Industrial Design Protection

The industrial design used to be the most overlooked pillar of the Intellectual Property Protection, including patents, industrial designs, copyrights, trademarks, etc.  But now, as the present era is the age of creativity, aesthetics, and design, where the visual appeal of products is very significant, industrial design protection has become a crucial need for designers, manufacturers, and vendors. The rapidly turning competitive marketplace, objectives of copycats or infringers, and requisite to maintain a brand’s integrity are some aspects that will help you in understanding the importance of design protection. For instance, the visual appearance of a product is a vital thing that not just attracts the viewers but also helps them in distinguishing one brand from others. Once protected under deign law, the appearance/design will communicate the message that the product is genuine, and thus, attract more and more buyers. In other words, it will create a reputation that makes customers buy from you without hesitating. Besides, protecting the design of any product or packaging gives legal powers to stop the counterfeit products from destroying the relevant brand’s reputation and defaulting on the brand’s promise of efficacy and safety. It can provide many other significant benefits, including ownership of exclusive rights to make, use, and sell the design. Hopefully, you have understood the importance of securing your design under industrial design protection. If yes, then what are you waiting for? File the application now! For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com

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Samsung’s Patent Shows Its Vision for Phone with an Expandable Screen

 

Intellectual Property

Samsung, the South Korean tech giant, is in the news for several announcements, including information regarding the launch of Galaxy Note 10 and 10+, which is set to take place on 7th August, 2019, at the Unpacked event. Although the Galaxy Fold smartphone hasn’t launched yet, talks about the South Korean multinational conglomerate is planning to come up with another phone, are already in the air.

In a recently published patent documentation, the firm has proposed the design of a phone that will be available with a pull-out display. The patent got filed around the end of 2018, but approved in May and published from the Korean Intellectual Property Office on 24th June 2019.

The patent details show the phone with a smart expandable display that extends the screen’s width by nearly fifty percent. The display panel is set to open on the right-hand side. When the user opens the screen, a frame border will also get opened around the display to safeguard it. The smartphone with this design will not just provide the tablet-sized viewing experience but also keep the screen protected. The information also unveils a punch-hole camera that appears in the middle of the front display. The patent doesn’t share information about the technical aspects and functioning of the phone.

Undoubtedly, the details of the new smartphone excite the users, but as this is just a patent filing till now, it is difficult to predict when Samsung will release the exciting gadget.

There is a dire need to note that the firms frequently file patents, but it is not necessary that each ends up into the light of day. Ultimately, whether Samsung will bring a smartphone-based on this design or not, remains confusion. For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com/