Indian story of GI Application for Basmati Rice!

A geographical indication works as an indicator that allows producers in those areas to distinguish their goods from the goods of their competitors and maintain a reputation and goodwill around their products in order to attract a premium price. Registering a geographical indication in India involves: • identifying protected characteristics; • establishing effective representation and protection for stakeholders; and • ensuring that the benefits of the registration reach the people involved in producing the goods. The story of Basmati rice Basmati rice (Oryza sativa) means Basmati raw milled rice; parboiled rice and husked and unpolished Basmati rice. More details regarding the varieties, feature of each varieties, districts where and how it is produced can be had from here. We have...

Read More ›

E-filing services – Indian Trademark Registry gets 90% digitized

It has been quite some time since our Indian Patent and Trademark Office had launched its online e-filing platform.  Of note, the Copyright Board did also launch similar services in 2009, but it did not go well as planned and went completely dysfunctional in a few months of its launch. Most recently in November-December 2013, Indian Trademark Office introduced online facility for filing Madrid applications as well as filing reply to examination report.  What comes as a more pleasant news for stakeholders and public is that now our Trademark Office accepts the following forms through its E-filing platform: Renewal - TM-12, TM-10,  and T-23 Opposition - TM-5, TM-26, TM-6 and TM-7 Correction - TM-16 Legal Certificate - TM-46 and TM-70...

Read More ›

Perfect time to make post-registration changes in your trademark

Normally, post-registration changes such as assignments, corrections, amendments, etc. happen at snail's pace for several reasons.  To tackle that, our CGPDTM has announced a special drive to dispose post-registration changes. The CGPDTM once again initiates a special drive for disposal of requests for recordal of post registration changes in the registered Trademarks.  This special drive will be conducted during the months of December 2013 and January 2014. Post-registration changes may include change in address, adding or removing proprietors, etc. The notification available on IPIndia Website reads, "All the requests for recordal of post registration changes made on forms TM-17, 19,20,23, 24, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 42, 43 or 50 shall be taken up for disposal by the appropriate offices, in order...

Read More ›

TM registry to hike costs for trademark registration

After the recent hike in patent fees, on August 1, 2013, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry through the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion has published a draft of the amendments to the Trademark Rules 2002. Please see the gazette notification here This draft notifies essentially two things as given below: Fee for trademark application-------------------Existing Fee 3500 INR---------------Proposed Fee 4000 INR Fee for expedited trademark examination----Existing Fee 17500 INR--------------Proposed  Fee 20,000 INR Although the expedited examination is supposed to place your application before the examiner anywhere between 7 days to 3 months, this has not been effective as it should due to shortage of staff in TM registry. We hope these conditions will also improve.

Read More ›