Asserting Patent Infringement with the help of Doctrine of Equivalence
The overarching issue in SNPC Machines Private Limited & Ors. v. Mr. Vishal Choudhary revolves around the application of the doctrine of equivalents to determine patent infringement, focusing on whether functional similarities between two competing brick-making machines constitute a violation of patent rights, despite differences in their physical...
Delhi High Court Restricts Sale of Refurbished Goods for ‘Reverse Passing-Off
Reverse passing off is not something that courts encounter every day. It occurs when a defendant purchases a plaintiff’s product, repackages, and sells it under the defendant’s mark or name, resulting in the public coming to associate the qualities of the plaintiff’s product with that of the defendant.
When this adversely...
IPO ends decade-long pre-grant opposition to Gilead’s Sofosbuvir prodrug
In a landmark case, Gilead Pharmasset, LLC v Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust and Ors., the Indian Patent Office (IPO) in Kolkata granted a patent to Gilead Pharmasset, LLC (Gilead), covering the prodrug molecule of anti-HCV drug Sofosbuvir. The IPO rejected all the 13 pre-grant oppositions, filed by various opponents including pharma companies, advocacy groups, and individuals against the patent...
Court Rules Data Privacy Prevails Over Business Methods in E-Commerce
In a pivotal decision, in the case Priya Randolph v the Deputy Controller of Patents and Designs, the Madras High Court has significantly impacted the criterion of patentable inventions in India, safeguarding a privacy-focused technology amidst e-commerce giants.
Priya Randolph and Rohit Chaturvedi (inventors) sought patent protection for their system that selectively conceals user data,...
Patentability of Synergistic Combinations Yielding New and Improved Results
In a notable ruling in the case, Biomoneta Research Pvt ltd. v Controller General of Patents Designs, the Delhi High Court (Court) resolved an appeal by Biomoneta Research Pvt. Ltd. (Biomoenta) against the Controller General of Patents and Designs’ (Controller) rejection of their 2017 patent application for an ‘Air Decontamination Assembly.’
The case is significant for its...
Inventiveness Test Should Be Applied to Entire Invention, Not Parts
In the matter of Groz-Beckert Kg v Union of India & Ors, the Calcutta High Court heard the appeal of Groz-Beckert KG (GBKG) against the rejection of their patent application by the Controller of Patents and Designs (Controller).
The case dealt with the issue of whether, can an invention be assessed on its constituent parts, while evaluating its patentability.
GBKG’s patent...
High Court Affirms Scotch Whisky Association’s GI Infringement Lawsuit Right
The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), a company incorporated in the UK won an appeal (Scotch Whisky Association v J.K. Enterprises & Ors) before an Appellate Bench of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh in Indore.
The appeal arose from an order passed by the Commercial Court in District Indore. The Commercial Court held that SWA’s suit for infringement of its geographical indication (GI)...
Court Rules on Determining Diagnostic Criteria in Patent Applications
The Madras High Court, this year, ruled on the much-awaited cases pertaining to interpretation of the scope of patentability of diagnostic methods patentability under the Indian Patents Act, 1970 (Act). Section 3(i) of the Act prohibits the patenting of diagnostic methods aimed at treating diseases in humans or animals to make them disease-free.
The two cases were appeals filed against...
Court Clarifies Patent Eligibility Criteria for Biochemical Inventions
In a landmark judgment, the Madras High Court brought significant clarity to the nuances of patent eligibility under the Indian Patent Act, 1970, (the Act) particularly concerning biochemical inventions.
In the case, Novozymes v Assistant Controller of Patents and Designs revolved around patentability of phytase variants with enhanced thermostability.
The Assistant Controller of Patents and...
Disobeying interim injunction seen as Contempt of Court
In the case, Pfizer Inc & Ors. v Triveni Interchem Private Limited & Ors, the Delhi High Court (Court) came down heavily on Triveni Interchem Private Limited and Triveni Chemicals (together referred as Triveni) after Triveni was found guilty of “wilful” and “contumacious” contempt of the Court for disobeying an interim injunction against Pfizer Inc (Pfizer)....