Intellectual Property Rights Notes | LL.B. (Three Years) Semester 1 | SPPU | munotes

Contents

Module 01 Understanding Intellectual Property

1. What Intellectual Property Is 1
2. Property in the Intangible 5
3. The Nature and Characteristics of Intellectual Property Rights 9
4. The Kinds of Intellectual Property 13
5. Why the Law Protects Intellectual Property: The Theories 17
6. The Advantages of Intellectual Property Rights 21
7. The Disadvantages of Intellectual Property Rights 23
8. The Economic Analysis of Intellectual Property Rights 26
9. The Origin and Development of Intellectual Property Rights 30
10. How Intellectual Property Law Developed in India 34
11. Why Intellectual Property Became International 39
12. The Paris Convention, 1883 42
13. The Paris Convention in Indian Law 47
14. The Berne Convention, 1886 50
15. The TRIPS Agreement: Principles and Standards 55
16. The TRIPS Agreement: Enforcement, Disputes and Transition 60
17. TRIPS and India 64
18. The Other Treaties India Has Joined, and Those It Has Not 67
19. The World Intellectual Property Organization 70
20. GATT and the World Trade Organization 73

Module 02 Copyright and Neighbouring Rights

1. The Evolution of Copyright Law in India 76
2. The Nature of Copyright: A Bundle of Rights 79
3. The Scope of Copyright: Idea, Expression and Originality 83
4. The Rome Convention 1961: Performers, Producers and Broadcasters 88
5. The WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty 1996: Performers and Producers, Articles 1 to 17 95
6. TRIPS Articles 9 to 14: Copyright and Related Rights 101
7. The Copyright Act, 1957: Its Scheme and Its Definitions 107
8. Literary Works, Computer Programmes and Compilations 112
9. Dramatic and Musical Works 116
10. Artistic Works and Works of Architecture 119
11. Sound Recordings and Cinematograph Films 123
12. Authorship of Copyright 127
13. Ownership of Copyright: The First Owner and the Exceptions 130
14. The Copyright Office and Registration of Copyright 134
15. The Term of Copyright 140
16. Assignment and Transmission of Copyright 143
17. Licences: Voluntary, Compulsory and Statutory 148
18. Copyright Societies 153
19. International Copyright and the Rest of the Act 158
20. Economic Rights 163
21. Moral Rights: The Author's Special Rights 166
22. Fair Dealing and the Section 52 Exceptions 170
23. Exceptions for Education, Libraries and Persons with Disabilities 176
24. Infringement of Copyright 183
25. Copyright Issues in the Digital Environment 192
26. Intermediaries, Website Blocking and Artificial Intelligence 196
27. Civil Remedies for Infringement 203
28. Offences and Criminal Remedies 210
29. Neighbouring Rights and the Rights of Broadcasting Organisations 215
30. Performers' Rights 219
31. The Rights of the Producers of Phonograms 224

Module 03 Patents

1. What a Patent Is, and the Bargain Behind It 227
2. The Patents Act, 1970 and How It Is Arranged 230
3. What an Invention Is 234
4. What Are Not Inventions: Section 3(a) to (c) 237
5. Section 3(d): New Forms of Known Substances and Ever-greening 240
6. The Rest of Section 3: Clauses (e) to (p) 244
7. Atomic Energy, Living Matter and Biotechnology 248
8. Product Patents and Process Patents 251
9. Novelty 254
10. Prior Art and Anticipation 257
11. Inventive Step 261
12. The Person Skilled in the Art and the Test of Obviousness 264
13. Capable of Industrial Application 267
14. TRIPS Article 27: Patentable Subject Matter 269
15. TRIPS Articles 28, 29 and 30: Rights, Disclosure and Exceptions 274
16. TRIPS Article 31: Other Use Without Authorisation 279
17. TRIPS Articles 32, 33 and 34: Revocation, Term and Burden of Proof 285
18. Convention Applications and the PCT Route 290
19. The Patent Cooperation Treaty 1970: What an International Application Is 295
20. The Budapest Treaty 1977: Depositing a Microorganism 301
21. Who May Apply, and the Application 308
22. Provisional and Complete Specifications 311
23. Claims, Priority Dates and Divisional Applications 314
24. Publication and Examination of the Application 317
25. Pre-Grant Opposition 320
26. Post-Grant Opposition and Wrongful Obtaining 323
27. The Grounds of Opposition Explained 326
28. Grant and Sealing of a Patent 329
29. Term, Renewal, Lapse, Restoration and Patents of Addition 333
30. The Rights of a Patentee 337
31. Working of Patents and Compulsory Licences 340
32. Surrender of a Patent 346
33. Revocation of a Patent 349
34. Assignment and Transmission of Patents, and the Register 354
35. Licensing of Patents 358
36. Terms of a Compulsory Licence and the Special Licences 363
37. The Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health, 2001 369
38. Use and Acquisition of Inventions by the Government 374
39. What Infringement of a Patent Is 380
40. Suits for Infringement 385
41. Defences to an Infringement Suit 391
42. Fair Use in Patent Law: Experiments, Bolar and Parallel Imports 395
43. Remedies for Infringement 399
44. The Patent Office, the Controller and Appeals 406
45. Patent Agents 410

Module 04 Trademarks

1. What a Trade Mark Is 414
2. How Indian Trade Mark Law Evolved 418
3. What a Trade Mark Does, and What Makes a Good One 422
4. The Need for Protection of Trade Marks 425
5. Service Marks 428
6. Collective Marks 431
7. Certification Trade Marks 434
8. Well-Known Trade Marks 438
9. TRIPS Articles 15 to 21: Trademarks 443
10. The Madrid Agreement 1891: International Registration of Marks 448
11. The Madrid Protocol 1989, and Why India Joined It 455
12. International Registration Under the Madrid Protocol 462
13. The Nice Agreement 1957: Classifying Goods and Services 466
14. The Registry, the Register and Classification 472
15. Absolute Grounds for Refusal 475
16. Relative Grounds for Refusal and Honest Concurrent Use 479
17. Deceptive Similarity: How Two Marks Are Compared 483
18. Applying to Register a Trade Mark 488
19. Examination, Acceptance and Advertisement 492
20. Opposition to Registration 495
21. Registration, Duration, Renewal and Restoration 498
22. Rectification, Correction and Removal for Non-Use 502
23. Conventional and Non-Conventional Trade Marks 508
24. Domain Names and Cybersquatting 511
25. Registered and Unregistered Trade Marks 515
26. The Rights of the Registered Proprietor and Their Limits 519
27. Infringement of a Registered Trade Mark 523
28. Passing Off 527
29. Infringement and Passing Off Compared 532
30. Defences to Infringement and Passing Off 536
31. Remedies for Infringement and Passing Off 541
32. Parallel Imports and Grey Market Goods 546
33. Assignment and Transmission of Trade Marks 551
34. Licensing, Permitted Use and Registered Users 555

Module 05 Industrial Designs

1. What an Industrial Design Is 559
2. Why Design Law Exists at All 563
3. The Definitions the Act Turns On 566
4. Novelty and Originality 571
5. Designs That May Not Be Registered 576
6. Design, Patent, Copyright and Trade Mark 579
7. The Copyright Overlap: Section 15(2) of the Copyright Act 583
8. TRIPS Articles 25 and 26: Industrial Designs 587
9. The Hague Agreement and the Geneva Act 1999, Articles 1 to 18 592
10. The Controller and the Designs Office 599
11. Applying to Register a Design 602
12. Publication of Particulars, Substitution and the Certificate 606
13. The Register of Designs 609
14. Copyright in a Registered Design, and How Long It Lasts 612
15. Lapse and Restoration of a Lapsed Design 616
16. Cancellation of Registration 620
17. Piracy of a Registered Design 624
18. The Remedies for Piracy 629
19. Passing Off Alongside a Registered Design 633

Module 06 Geographical Indications

1. What a Geographical Indication Is 638
2. Why India Legislated: Darjeeling, Basmati and Turmeric 643
3. Indication of Source, Appellation of Origin and Geographical Indication 648
4. The Scheme of the Act, and the Definitions It Turns On 652
5. Geographical Indications That May Not Be Registered 657
6. Homonymous Geographical Indications 661
7. TRIPS Articles 22, 23 and 24 665
8. The Lisbon Agreement 1958 and the Geneva Act of 2015 671
9. Geographical Indications and Trade Marks 677
10. Applying to Register a Geographical Indication 683
11. Advertisement, Opposition and Correction 688
12. Registration, the Certificate and the Date It Runs From 692
13. Authorised Users 695
14. Duration, Renewal, Removal and Restoration 699
15. The Rights Registration Confers 704
16. What Infringes a Registered Geographical Indication 708
17. The Suit, the Court and the Relief 713
18. Passing Off, and the Unregistered Geographical Indication 719
19. Appeals, and the End of the Appellate Board 724

Module 07 Protection of other Types of Intellectual Property Rights

1. What an Integrated Circuit Is 729
2. TRIPS Articles 35 to 38 733
3. The Scheme of the Indian Act, and When It Came Into Force 738
4. The Rights Registration Confers, and What Infringes 742
5. Ten Years, and the Two Dates It Can Run From 748
6. Layout-Designs That May Not Be Registered 752
7. The UPOV Convention: 1961, 1978 and 1991 757
8. The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act 2001 765
9. Registering a Plant Variety: Who May Apply, the DUS Tests, Opposition and the Certificate 770
10. The Rights of Breeders and Researchers, and the Duration of Protection 774
11. Section 39: Farmers’ Rights 777
12. Compensation to Communities and the Compulsory Licence 782
13. Infringement of Plant Variety Rights, and the Relief 786
14. What a Trade Secret Is, and What Confidential Information Is 789
15. Coco v A N Clark: The Three Elements 794
16. The First Element: The Quality of Confidence 798
17. The Second Element: Circumstances Importing an Obligation 802
18. The Third Element: Unauthorised Use, and Whether Detriment Is Needed 807
19. The Springboard Doctrine 811
20. Employees, Ex-Employees and the Duty of Good Faith 816
21. Customer Lists and the Departing Employee 821
22. Remedies for Breach of Confidence 826
23. How to Protect a Trade Secret in Practice 831
24. The Law Commission's Report No. 289 and the Bill of 2024 836
25. Undisclosed Information: Terminology, Definition and Scope 844
26. TRIPS Article 39 and the International Obligation 849
27. Traditional Knowledge: Why Patent Law Cannot See It 854
28. Biopiracy: Turmeric, Neem, Basmati, and the Digital Library 860
29. The Convention on Biological Diversity 1992, Articles 1 to 21 866
30. The Scheme of the Biological Diversity Act 2002 873
31. Access to Biological Resources Under Indian Law 877
32. Sections 8 to 17: The National Biodiversity Authority 881
33. The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library 885