LL.M. Intellectual Property and Information Technology Semester 3: Notes and Solved Previous Year Question Papers 2026

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1. Information Technology Cyber Laws

   Official Notes munotes.in

   Information Technology Cyber Laws

   LL.M. · SEMESTER 3

   Strictly as per the University of Mumbai LL.M. syllabus in force, with every provision read from the Act, the Rules and the Gazette as amended to 10-02-2026

   For LL.M. students of the University of Mumbai and all its affiliated law colleges

   munotes.in Group 3 Law of Intellectual Property and Information Technology

   Information Technology Cyber Laws

   Copyright © 2026 munotes.in. All rights reserved.

   Written and first published by munotes.in, 2026.

   This book is free for individual students to read at munotes.in. No part of it may be reproduced, distributed, stored, translated or used for institutional or classroom purposes in any form without a prior written licence from munotes.in.

   Licensing and permissions: contact@munotes.in

   The text of statutes and of judgments reproduced in this book is in the public domain under section 52(1)(q) of the Copyright Act 1957. The commentary, arrangement, examples and questions are the original work of munotes.in.

   munotes.in is an independent study resource for MU students. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to the University of Mumbai. Course names and university references describe the students and syllabus the material relates to.

   Contents

   Module I

   1. What Information Technology Is 1
   2. How a Computer Holds Information 7
   3. How the Internet Works 12
   4. Cyberspace, and the Trouble with Territory 17
   5. How India Came to Have an Information Technology Act 21
   6. The UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce 26
   7. The Functional Equivalent Approach 32
   8. The Model Law on the Communication of Data Messages 39
   9. The Model Law on Carriage of Goods 46
   10. The UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Signatures 51
   11. How India Enacted the Model Law 59
   12. The Scheme of the Information Technology Act 66
   13. Short Title, Extent and Application 72
   14. The First Schedule: What the Act Does Not Touch 76
   15. The Definitions, Part One: the Machine 81
   16. The Definitions, Part Two: the People and the Transaction 88
   17. The Objects of the Act, and What Each Part Does 95
   18. The Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008 100
   19. What Has Changed Since 2008 105
   20. What Information Security Means 111

   Contents continued

   Module I continued

   1. Threats, Attacks and How They Work 116
   2. Secure Electronic Records and Secure Signatures 121
   3. Reasonable Security Practices and the SPDI Rules 126
   4. Using the Act in Practice 134

   Module II

   1. What a Signature Does 139
   2. Cryptography for Lawyers 144
   3. The Hash Function and the Hash Value 150
   4. Authentication of Electronic Records: Section 3 155
   5. Electronic Signature and the Second Schedule 160
   6. Legal Recognition of Electronic Records and Signatures 167
   7. Digital Signature Against Electronic Signature 173
   8. The Electronic Signature Certificate 178
   9. Suspension and Revocation of a Certificate 184
   10. The Duties of a Subscriber 190
   11. What Electronic Governance Is 196
   12. Electronic Records in Government: Sections 6 to 9 201
   13. Delivery of Services by a Service Provider 207
   14. E-Governance in Practice: DigiLocker and e-KYC 213

   Contents continued

   Module II continued

   1. The Power to Make Rules on Electronic Signature 219
   2. The Controller of Certifying Authorities 222
   3. The Controller's Powers of Investigation 227
   4. Recognition of Foreign Certifying Authorities 233
   5. Licensing a Certifying Authority 238
   6. Suspension and Revocation of a Licence 245
   7. The Duties of a Certifying Authority 251
   8. The Certifying Authorities Rules in Outline 258
   9. Why Software Is Hard to Protect 263
   10. Copyright in a Computer Programme 269
   11. Who Owns the Software, and For How Long 275
   12. Infringement of Software Copyright, and the Exceptions 281
   13. Software Patents in India 288
   14. Trade Secrets and the Employment Contract 294
   15. Semiconductor Layout Designs 300
   16. Licensing Software: Proprietary and Open Source 306
   17. Software Piracy and Its Enforcement 312

   Module III

   1. Why Compare Cyber Laws 318

   Contents continued

   Module III continued

   1. Three Models of Regulating the Network 324
   2. The United Nations and Cyber Law 329
   3. The Budapest Convention: the Offences 335
   4. The Budapest Convention: Procedure and Co-operation 343
   5. India in Comparison 351
   6. The United States: the Constitutional Frame 357
   7. The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act 363
   8. Section 230 and the American Safe Harbour 369
   9. The DMCA: Notice and Takedown 375
   10. Europe: the e-Commerce Directive 381
   11. The General Data Protection Regulation: the Scheme 387
   12. The GDPR: Rights and the Controller's Duties 395
   13. The GDPR: Transfers and Enforcement 404
   14. eIDAS and Electronic Signatures in Europe 415
   15. The Digital Services Act 423
   16. China: the Cybersecurity Law 434
   17. China: Data Security and Personal Information 444
   18. The Five Systems Side by Side 455
   19. What Cyber Security Means in Law 462

   Contents continued

   Module III continued

   1. CERT-In and Incident Reporting 468
   2. The CERT-In Directions of 2022 475
   3. Protected Systems and Critical Information Infrastructure 482
   4. The National Cyber Security Policy, and After 490
   5. Interception, Monitoring and Decryption 496
   6. Blocking Public Access to Information 505
   7. Monitoring Traffic Data for Cyber Security 513
   8. Encryption and the Law 521
   9. Jurisdiction: the Five Bases 527
   10. The Act Reaching Outside India 532
   11. Civil Jurisdiction Over an Internet Dispute 538
   12. Where an Electronic Contract Is Made 544
   13. Getting Evidence from Abroad 550
   14. Conflicting Orders and the Global Takedown 557
   15. Data Localisation and Cross-Border Data Flows 564

   Module IV

   1. What an Electronic Contract Is 571
   2. Offer and Acceptance Online 577
   3. The Validity of an Electronic Contract: Section 10A 584

   Contents continued

   Module IV continued

   1. Attribution of an Electronic Record 590
   2. Acknowledgment of Receipt 596
   3. Enforcing an Electronic Contract 601
   4. Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce 608
   5. Electronic Payments and Their Law 615
   6. Artificial Intelligence and the 2026 Amendment 622
   7. Deepfakes, Labelling and Provenance 629
   8. Cryptocurrency and Virtual Digital Assets 637
   9. Blockchain and the Smart Contract 644
   10. Cloud Computing and the Internet of Things 651
   11. Privacy After Puttaswamy 657
   12. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 664
   13. The Data Protection Board and Enforcement 674
   14. Domain Names and Cybersquatting 684
   15. Internet Shutdowns and Access to the Internet 692
   16. What a Cyber Crime Is 699
   17. Penalty and Compensation: Section 43 705
   18. The Residuary Penalties 711
   19. Adjudication Under the Act 717

   Contents continued

   Module IV continued

   1. Compounding and Recovery 725
   2. The Appellate Tribunal Today 731
   3. The Cyber Appellate Tribunal, and What Happened to It 739
   4. Appeals to the Tribunal, and Beyond 746
   5. Tampering with Computer Source Documents 753
   6. Computer Related Offences: Section 66 760
   7. Section 66A, and Shreya Singhal 766
   8. Receiving a Stolen Computer Resource, and Identity Theft 773
   9. Cheating by Personation, and Violation of Privacy 778
   10. Obscenity in Electronic Form 786
   11. Material Depicting Children 794
   12. Preservation and Retention by Intermediaries 800
   13. Breach of Confidentiality and Privacy 806
   14. Investigating a Cyber Offence 813
   15. Proving a Cyber Offence: Electronic Evidence 820
   16. The IT Act and the General Penal Law 830
   17. Confiscation, Abetment, Attempt and Companies 839
   18. Compounding, Bail and the Shape of a Prosecution 846
   19. What Cyber Terrorism Is 852

   Contents continued

   Module IV continued

   1. Section 66F Broken Down 858
   2. Cyber Terrorism Beside the UAPA and the Sanhita 865
   3. Modes of Cyber Terrorism, and the Response 872
   4. Social Media in Law 879
   5. Intermediary Liability and the Safe Harbour 889
   6. The Code of Ethics and the Three-Tier Mechanism 898
   7. Crimes Committed Through Social Media 907
   8. Non-Consensual Images, Morphing and Revenge Pornography 913
   9. Fake News, Misinformation and the Fact Check Unit 919
   10. Grievance Redress and Reporting a Cyber Crime 926
   11. The Closing Provisions of the Act 932
   12. Cyber Cafes as a Worked Example of Due Diligence 940

   Page 1 onwards

   948 pages in this book. The cover and the contents are above. Everything from page one is in the pass.

   Notes

   2026 Edition, as per the latest syllabus. 948 pages.

   Papers

   Previous year question paper solutions. Revised edition 2026. 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2025, 2026

   Every chapter in the notes: 143 chapters across 4 modules

   Module I 24 chapters

   1. 1 What Information Technology Is pages 1–6
   2. 2 How a Computer Holds Information pages 7–11
   3. 3 How the Internet Works pages 12–16
   4. 4 Cyberspace, and the Trouble with Territory pages 17–20
   5. 5 How India Came to Have an Information Technology Act pages 21–25
   6. 6 The UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce pages 26–31
   7. 7 The Functional Equivalent Approach pages 32–38
   8. 8 The Model Law on the Communication of Data Messages pages 39–45
   9. 9 The Model Law on Carriage of Goods pages 46–50
   10. 10 The UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Signatures pages 51–58
   11. 11 How India Enacted the Model Law pages 59–65
   12. 12 The Scheme of the Information Technology Act pages 66–71
   13. 13 Short Title, Extent and Application pages 72–75
   14. 14 The First Schedule: What the Act Does Not Touch pages 76–80
   15. 15 The Definitions, Part One: the Machine pages 81–87
   16. 16 The Definitions, Part Two: the People and the Transaction pages 88–94
   17. 17 The Objects of the Act, and What Each Part Does pages 95–99
   18. 18 The Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008 pages 100–104
   19. 19 What Has Changed Since 2008 pages 105–110
   20. 20 What Information Security Means pages 111–115
   21. 21 Threats, Attacks and How They Work pages 116–120
   22. 22 Secure Electronic Records and Secure Signatures pages 121–125
   23. 23 Reasonable Security Practices and the SPDI Rules pages 126–133
   24. 24 Using the Act in Practice pages 134–138

   Module II 31 chapters

   1. 25 What a Signature Does pages 139–143
   2. 26 Cryptography for Lawyers pages 144–149
   3. 27 The Hash Function and the Hash Value pages 150–154
   4. 28 Authentication of Electronic Records: Section 3 pages 155–159
   5. 29 Electronic Signature and the Second Schedule pages 160–166
   6. 30 Legal Recognition of Electronic Records and Signatures pages 167–172
   7. 31 Digital Signature Against Electronic Signature pages 173–177
   8. 32 The Electronic Signature Certificate pages 178–183
   9. 33 Suspension and Revocation of a Certificate pages 184–189
   10. 34 The Duties of a Subscriber pages 190–195
   11. 35 What Electronic Governance Is pages 196–200
   12. 36 Electronic Records in Government: Sections 6 to 9 pages 201–206
   13. 37 Delivery of Services by a Service Provider pages 207–212
   14. 38 E-Governance in Practice: DigiLocker and e-KYC pages 213–218
   15. 39 The Power to Make Rules on Electronic Signature pages 219–221
   16. 40 The Controller of Certifying Authorities pages 222–226
   17. 41 The Controller's Powers of Investigation pages 227–232
   18. 42 Recognition of Foreign Certifying Authorities pages 233–237
   19. 43 Licensing a Certifying Authority pages 238–244
   20. 44 Suspension and Revocation of a Licence pages 245–250
   21. 45 The Duties of a Certifying Authority pages 251–257
   22. 46 The Certifying Authorities Rules in Outline pages 258–262
   23. 47 Why Software Is Hard to Protect pages 263–268
   24. 48 Copyright in a Computer Programme pages 269–274
   25. 49 Who Owns the Software, and For How Long pages 275–280
   26. 50 Infringement of Software Copyright, and the Exceptions pages 281–287
   27. 51 Software Patents in India pages 288–293
   28. 52 Trade Secrets and the Employment Contract pages 294–299
   29. 53 Semiconductor Layout Designs pages 300–305
   30. 54 Licensing Software: Proprietary and Open Source pages 306–311
   31. 55 Software Piracy and Its Enforcement pages 312–317

   Module III 35 chapters

   1. 56 Why Compare Cyber Laws pages 318–323
   2. 57 Three Models of Regulating the Network pages 324–328
   3. 58 The United Nations and Cyber Law pages 329–334
   4. 59 The Budapest Convention: the Offences pages 335–342
   5. 60 The Budapest Convention: Procedure and Co-operation pages 343–350
   6. 61 India in Comparison pages 351–356
   7. 62 The United States: the Constitutional Frame pages 357–362
   8. 63 The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act pages 363–368
   9. 64 Section 230 and the American Safe Harbour pages 369–374
   10. 65 The DMCA: Notice and Takedown pages 375–380
   11. 66 Europe: the e-Commerce Directive pages 381–386
   12. 67 The General Data Protection Regulation: the Scheme pages 387–394
   13. 68 The GDPR: Rights and the Controller's Duties pages 395–403
   14. 69 The GDPR: Transfers and Enforcement pages 404–414
   15. 70 eIDAS and Electronic Signatures in Europe pages 415–422
   16. 71 The Digital Services Act pages 423–433
   17. 72 China: the Cybersecurity Law pages 434–443
   18. 73 China: Data Security and Personal Information pages 444–454
   19. 74 The Five Systems Side by Side pages 455–461
   20. 75 What Cyber Security Means in Law pages 462–467
   21. 76 CERT-In and Incident Reporting pages 468–474
   22. 77 The CERT-In Directions of 2022 pages 475–481
   23. 78 Protected Systems and Critical Information Infrastructure pages 482–489
   24. 79 The National Cyber Security Policy, and After pages 490–495
   25. 80 Interception, Monitoring and Decryption pages 496–504
   26. 81 Blocking Public Access to Information pages 505–512
   27. 82 Monitoring Traffic Data for Cyber Security pages 513–520
   28. 83 Encryption and the Law pages 521–526
   29. 84 Jurisdiction: the Five Bases pages 527–531
   30. 85 The Act Reaching Outside India pages 532–537
   31. 86 Civil Jurisdiction Over an Internet Dispute pages 538–543
   32. 87 Where an Electronic Contract Is Made pages 544–549
   33. 88 Getting Evidence from Abroad pages 550–556
   34. 89 Conflicting Orders and the Global Takedown pages 557–563
   35. 90 Data Localisation and Cross-Border Data Flows pages 564–570

   Module IV 53 chapters

   1. 91 What an Electronic Contract Is pages 571–576
   2. 92 Offer and Acceptance Online pages 577–583
   3. 93 The Validity of an Electronic Contract: Section 10A pages 584–589
   4. 94 Attribution of an Electronic Record pages 590–595
   5. 95 Acknowledgment of Receipt pages 596–600
   6. 96 Enforcing an Electronic Contract pages 601–607
   7. 97 Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce pages 608–614
   8. 98 Electronic Payments and Their Law pages 615–621
   9. 99 Artificial Intelligence and the 2026 Amendment pages 622–628
   10. 100 Deepfakes, Labelling and Provenance pages 629–636
   11. 101 Cryptocurrency and Virtual Digital Assets pages 637–643
   12. 102 Blockchain and the Smart Contract pages 644–650
   13. 103 Cloud Computing and the Internet of Things pages 651–656
   14. 104 Privacy After Puttaswamy pages 657–663
   15. 105 The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 pages 664–673
   16. 106 The Data Protection Board and Enforcement pages 674–683
   17. 107 Domain Names and Cybersquatting pages 684–691
   18. 108 Internet Shutdowns and Access to the Internet pages 692–698
   19. 109 What a Cyber Crime Is pages 699–704
   20. 110 Penalty and Compensation: Section 43 pages 705–710
   21. 111 The Residuary Penalties pages 711–716
   22. 112 Adjudication Under the Act pages 717–724
   23. 113 Compounding and Recovery pages 725–730
   24. 114 The Appellate Tribunal Today pages 731–738
   25. 115 The Cyber Appellate Tribunal, and What Happened to It pages 739–745
   26. 116 Appeals to the Tribunal, and Beyond pages 746–752
   27. 117 Tampering with Computer Source Documents pages 753–759
   28. 118 Computer Related Offences: Section 66 pages 760–765
   29. 119 Section 66A, and Shreya Singhal pages 766–772
   30. 120 Receiving a Stolen Computer Resource, and Identity Theft pages 773–777
   31. 121 Cheating by Personation, and Violation of Privacy pages 778–785
   32. 122 Obscenity in Electronic Form pages 786–793
   33. 123 Material Depicting Children pages 794–799
   34. 124 Preservation and Retention by Intermediaries pages 800–805
   35. 125 Breach of Confidentiality and Privacy pages 806–812
   36. 126 Investigating a Cyber Offence pages 813–819
   37. 127 Proving a Cyber Offence: Electronic Evidence pages 820–829
   38. 128 The IT Act and the General Penal Law pages 830–838
   39. 129 Confiscation, Abetment, Attempt and Companies pages 839–845
   40. 130 Compounding, Bail and the Shape of a Prosecution pages 846–851
   41. 131 What Cyber Terrorism Is pages 852–857
   42. 132 Section 66F Broken Down pages 858–864
   43. 133 Cyber Terrorism Beside the UAPA and the Sanhita pages 865–871
   44. 134 Modes of Cyber Terrorism, and the Response pages 872–878
   45. 135 Social Media in Law pages 879–888
   46. 136 Intermediary Liability and the Safe Harbour pages 889–897
   47. 137 The Code of Ethics and the Three-Tier Mechanism pages 898–906
   48. 138 Crimes Committed Through Social Media pages 907–912
   49. 139 Non-Consensual Images, Morphing and Revenge Pornography pages 913–918
   50. 140 Fake News, Misinformation and the Fact Check Unit pages 919–925
   51. 141 Grievance Redress and Reporting a Cyber Crime pages 926–931
   52. 142 The Closing Provisions of the Act pages 932–939
   53. 143 Cyber Cafes as a Worked Example of Due Diligence pages 940–948
   Every paper that is solved: 6 papers

   • 2025-26
   • 2024-25
   • 2019
   • 2018
   • 2016
   • 2015

2. Law of Industrial Designs GI Layout Designs Data Protection and Trade Secrets

   Official Notes munotes.in

   Law of Industrial Designs GI Layout Designs Data Protection and Trade Secrets

   LL.M. · SEMESTER 3

   Strictly as per the University of Mumbai LL.M. syllabus in force, with every section read from the Act as amended and every commencement read from the Gazette

   For LL.M. students of the University of Mumbai and all its affiliated law colleges

   munotes.in Group 3 Law of Intellectual Property and Information Technology

   Law of Industrial Designs GI Layout Designs Data Protection and Trade Secrets

   Copyright © 2026 munotes.in. All rights reserved.

   Written and first published by munotes.in, 2026.

   This book is free for individual students to read at munotes.in. No part of it may be reproduced, distributed, stored, translated or used for institutional or classroom purposes in any form without a prior written licence from munotes.in.

   Licensing and permissions: contact@munotes.in

   The text of statutes and of judgments reproduced in this book is in the public domain under section 52(1)(q) of the Copyright Act 1957. The commentary, arrangement, examples and questions are the original work of munotes.in.

   munotes.in is an independent study resource for MU students. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to the University of Mumbai. Course names and university references describe the students and syllabus the material relates to.

   Contents

   Module I

   1. What an Industrial Design Is 1
   2. Why Design Law Exists at All 5
   3. How Design Law Came to India 8
   4. Designs in the International System 12
   5. The Definitions the Act Turns On 17
   6. Design, Patent, Copyright and Trade Mark 22
   7. Novelty and Originality 26
   8. Publication, and How It Destroys Novelty 31
   9. Designs That May Not Be Registered 35
   10. The Controller and the Designs Office 38
   11. Applying to Register a Design 41
   12. Publication of Particulars, Substitution and the Certificate 45
   13. The Register of Designs 48
   14. Copyright in a Registered Design, and How Long It Lasts 51
   15. Lapse and Restoration of a Lapsed Design 55
   16. Marking an Article Before It Is Sold 59
   17. Inspection, Information and the Secrecy of an Application 62
   18. Cancellation of Registration 66
   19. Appeals to the High Court 70
   20. Correcting the Register: Errors, Assignments and Rectification 73

   Contents continued

   Module I continued

   1. Piracy of a Registered Design 78
   2. The Remedies for Piracy 83
   3. Passing Off Alongside a Registered Design 87
   4. The Copyright Overlap: Section 15(2) of the Copyright Act 92
   5. Designs, the Government and the Security of India 96
   6. The Controller's Powers, Discretion and Evidence 100
   7. Agents, Service by Post, Disability and Restrictive Conditions 104
   8. Patents Act Provisions Applied to Designs, Fees, Rules and the Report to Parliament 109
   9. Convention Applications and Reciprocity 113
   10. Protecting a Design Outside India 117

   Module II

   1. What a Geographical Indication Is 121
   2. Why a Place Can Be a Badge of Quality 126
   3. Indication of Source, Appellation of Origin and Geographical Indication 129
   4. The International Framework Before TRIPS 133
   5. TRIPS Articles 22, 23 and 24 137
   6. Why India Legislated: Darjeeling, Basmati and Turmeric 142

   Contents continued

   Module II continued

   1. The Scheme of the Act, and the Definitions It Turns On 147
   2. The Registrar and the Geographical Indications Registry 152
   3. The Register, Part A and Part B 155
   4. Geographical Indications That May Not Be Registered 159
   5. Homonymous Geographical Indications 163
   6. Applying to Register a Geographical Indication 167
   7. Advertisement, Opposition and Correction 172
   8. Registration, the Certificate and the Date It Runs From 176
   9. Authorised Users 179
   10. Duration, Renewal, Removal and Restoration 183
   11. The Rights Registration Confers 188
   12. What Infringes a Registered Geographical Indication 192
   13. A Geographical Indication Cannot Be Assigned 197
   14. Geographical Indications and Trade Marks 201
   15. Rectification, Cancellation and Correction of the Register 207
   16. Appeals, and the End of the Appellate Board 212
   17. What It Means to Apply a Geographical Indication to Goods 216
   18. The Offences Under the Act 220
   19. Adjudication of Penalties After the Jan Vishwas Act 226

   Contents continued

   Module II continued

   1. Defences, Forfeiture and Criminal Procedure 230
   2. The Suit, the Court and the Relief 236
   3. Passing Off, and the Unregistered Geographical Indication 242
   4. The Registrar's Powers, Evidence and Procedure 247
   5. Evidence of the Register, Certificates of Validity and Origin Marking 251
   6. The Remaining Provisions 256
   7. What Registration Has Actually Achieved in India 261

   Module III

   1. What an Integrated Circuit Is 265
   2. MU's Phrase Integrated Designs, and the Words the Act Uses 269
   3. Why Layout-Designs Needed a Law of Their Own 272
   4. The Mechanisms Considered, and Why Each Was Rejected 276
   5. The Washington Treaty of 1989, and Why It Is Not in Force 280
   6. TRIPS Articles 35 to 38 285
   7. National Legislations Compared 290
   8. The Scheme of the Indian Act, and When It Came Into Force 294
   9. The Registrar and the Layout-Design Registry 299
   10. The Register of Layout-Designs 303

   Contents continued

   Module III continued

   1. Layout-Designs That May Not Be Registered 307
   2. Applying to Register a Layout-Design 312
   3. Opposition, Correction and Registration 317
   4. Jointly Owned Layout-Designs 321
   5. Ten Years, and the Two Dates It Can Run From 325
   6. The Rights Registration Confers, and What Infringes 329
   7. Assignment, Transmission and the Change of Proprietor 335
   8. Registered Users 340
   9. Rectification and Correction of the Register 347
   10. The Layout-Design Appellate Board, and Why It Does Not Exist 352
   11. Compulsory Licensing, and What Section 40 Actually Does 360
   12. Appeals, the Board's Procedure and the Bar of Jurisdiction 366
   13. The Offences Under the Act 372
   14. Defences, Forfeiture, Companies and Criminal Procedure 377
   15. The Security of India, Good Faith and the Implied Warranty 383
   16. The Registrar's Powers, Evidence and Preliminary Advice 388
   17. Evidence, Agents and the Remaining Provisions 393
   18. Convention Countries, Reciprocity and the Rules 400
   19. A Statute That Has Almost Never Been Used 407

   Contents continued

   Module IV

   1. The Two Halves of This Module 417
   2. What a Trade Secret Is, and What Confidential Information Is 422
   3. Saltman and the Birth of the Modern Action 427
   4. Coco v A N Clark: The Three Elements 432
   5. The First Element: The Quality of Confidence 436
   6. The Second Element: Circumstances Importing an Obligation 440
   7. The Third Element: Unauthorised Use, and Whether Detriment Is Needed 445
   8. The Springboard Doctrine 449
   9. Employees, Ex-Employees and the Duty of Good Faith 454
   10. Section 27 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872 459
   11. Restraints During Employment and After It 464
   12. Customer Lists and the Departing Employee 469
   13. How to Protect a Trade Secret in Practice 474
   14. Remedies for Breach of Confidence 479
   15. Trade Secrets and Patents 484
   16. Trade Secrets and Copyright 489
   17. Protecting Undisclosed Information 494
   18. Undisclosed Information: Terminology, Definition and Scope 499
   19. TRIPS Article 39 and the International Obligation 504

   Contents continued

   Module IV continued

   1. Article 39.3 and the Protection of Regulatory Test Data 509
   2. National Legislation Compared: The United States, Europe and China 514
   3. The Law Commission's Report No. 289 and the Bill of 2024 520
   4. What Data Protection Is, and How It Differs From Confidentiality 528
   5. Privacy as a Fundamental Right: Puttaswamy 533
   6. The United Kingdom's Data Protection Act 1998 538
   7. The European Scheme and the General Data Protection Regulation 544
   8. Indian Data Protection Before the Act 550
   9. The Road to the Act: Srikrishna and Three Bills 557
   10. The Scheme of the Act, and What Is Actually in Force 562
   11. The Definitions the Act Turns On 568
   12. Where the Act Applies, and Where It Does Not 573
   13. The Grounds for Processing, and the Notice 578
   14. Consent, Its Withdrawal, and the Consent Manager 583
   15. Certain Legitimate Uses 589
   16. The General Obligations of a Data Fiduciary 595
   17. Children and Persons With a Disability 600
   18. Significant Data Fiduciaries 605

   Contents continued

   Module IV continued

   1. The Rights of a Data Principal 610
   2. The Duties of a Data Principal 615
   3. Transfer Outside India, and the Exemptions 620
   4. The Data Protection Board of India 627
   5. The Board's Powers, and the Procedure on a Complaint 633
   6. Appeal, Mediation and the Voluntary Undertaking 639
   7. Penalties, and the Schedule That Fixes Them 644
   8. Government Powers, Consistency and the Bar of Jurisdiction 649
   9. The Rule-Making Power, Laying and the Power to Amend the Schedule 655
   10. The Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 661
   11. What the Act Does to the Right to Information Act and the Information Technology Act 672
   12. The Two Halves Together 678

   Page 1 onwards

   683 pages in this book. The cover and the contents are above. Everything from page one is in the pass.

   Notes

   2026 Edition, as per the latest syllabus. 683 pages.

   Papers

   Previous year question paper solutions. Revised edition 2026. 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2025, 2026

   Every chapter in the notes: 140 chapters across 4 modules

   Module I 30 chapters

   1. 1 What an Industrial Design Is pages 1–4
   2. 2 Why Design Law Exists at All pages 5–7
   3. 3 How Design Law Came to India pages 8–11
   4. 4 Designs in the International System pages 12–16
   5. 5 The Definitions the Act Turns On pages 17–21
   6. 6 Design, Patent, Copyright and Trade Mark pages 22–25
   7. 7 Novelty and Originality pages 26–30
   8. 8 Publication, and How It Destroys Novelty pages 31–34
   9. 9 Designs That May Not Be Registered pages 35–37
   10. 10 The Controller and the Designs Office pages 38–40
   11. 11 Applying to Register a Design pages 41–44
   12. 12 Publication of Particulars, Substitution and the Certificate pages 45–47
   13. 13 The Register of Designs pages 48–50
   14. 14 Copyright in a Registered Design, and How Long It Lasts pages 51–54
   15. 15 Lapse and Restoration of a Lapsed Design pages 55–58
   16. 16 Marking an Article Before It Is Sold pages 59–61
   17. 17 Inspection, Information and the Secrecy of an Application pages 62–65
   18. 18 Cancellation of Registration pages 66–69
   19. 19 Appeals to the High Court pages 70–72
   20. 20 Correcting the Register: Errors, Assignments and Rectification pages 73–77
   21. 21 Piracy of a Registered Design pages 78–82
   22. 22 The Remedies for Piracy pages 83–86
   23. 23 Passing Off Alongside a Registered Design pages 87–91
   24. 24 The Copyright Overlap: Section 15(2) of the Copyright Act pages 92–95
   25. 25 Designs, the Government and the Security of India pages 96–99
   26. 26 The Controller's Powers, Discretion and Evidence pages 100–103
   27. 27 Agents, Service by Post, Disability and Restrictive Conditions pages 104–108
   28. 28 Patents Act Provisions Applied to Designs, Fees, Rules and the Report to Parliament pages 109–112
   29. 29 Convention Applications and Reciprocity pages 113–116
   30. 30 Protecting a Design Outside India pages 117–120

   Module II 32 chapters

   1. 31 What a Geographical Indication Is pages 121–125
   2. 32 Why a Place Can Be a Badge of Quality pages 126–128
   3. 33 Indication of Source, Appellation of Origin and Geographical Indication pages 129–132
   4. 34 The International Framework Before TRIPS pages 133–136
   5. 35 TRIPS Articles 22, 23 and 24 pages 137–141
   6. 36 Why India Legislated: Darjeeling, Basmati and Turmeric pages 142–146
   7. 37 The Scheme of the Act, and the Definitions It Turns On pages 147–151
   8. 38 The Registrar and the Geographical Indications Registry pages 152–154
   9. 39 The Register, Part A and Part B pages 155–158
   10. 40 Geographical Indications That May Not Be Registered pages 159–162
   11. 41 Homonymous Geographical Indications pages 163–166
   12. 42 Applying to Register a Geographical Indication pages 167–171
   13. 43 Advertisement, Opposition and Correction pages 172–175
   14. 44 Registration, the Certificate and the Date It Runs From pages 176–178
   15. 45 Authorised Users pages 179–182
   16. 46 Duration, Renewal, Removal and Restoration pages 183–187
   17. 47 The Rights Registration Confers pages 188–191
   18. 48 What Infringes a Registered Geographical Indication pages 192–196
   19. 49 A Geographical Indication Cannot Be Assigned pages 197–200
   20. 50 Geographical Indications and Trade Marks pages 201–206
   21. 51 Rectification, Cancellation and Correction of the Register pages 207–211
   22. 52 Appeals, and the End of the Appellate Board pages 212–215
   23. 53 What It Means to Apply a Geographical Indication to Goods pages 216–219
   24. 54 The Offences Under the Act pages 220–225
   25. 55 Adjudication of Penalties After the Jan Vishwas Act pages 226–229
   26. 56 Defences, Forfeiture and Criminal Procedure pages 230–235
   27. 57 The Suit, the Court and the Relief pages 236–241
   28. 58 Passing Off, and the Unregistered Geographical Indication pages 242–246
   29. 59 The Registrar's Powers, Evidence and Procedure pages 247–250
   30. 60 Evidence of the Register, Certificates of Validity and Origin Marking pages 251–255
   31. 61 The Remaining Provisions pages 256–260
   32. 62 What Registration Has Actually Achieved in India pages 261–264

   Module III 29 chapters

   1. 63 What an Integrated Circuit Is pages 265–268
   2. 64 MU's Phrase Integrated Designs, and the Words the Act Uses pages 269–271
   3. 65 Why Layout-Designs Needed a Law of Their Own pages 272–275
   4. 66 The Mechanisms Considered, and Why Each Was Rejected pages 276–279
   5. 67 The Washington Treaty of 1989, and Why It Is Not in Force pages 280–284
   6. 68 TRIPS Articles 35 to 38 pages 285–289
   7. 69 National Legislations Compared pages 290–293
   8. 70 The Scheme of the Indian Act, and When It Came Into Force pages 294–298
   9. 71 The Registrar and the Layout-Design Registry pages 299–302
   10. 72 The Register of Layout-Designs pages 303–306
   11. 73 Layout-Designs That May Not Be Registered pages 307–311
   12. 74 Applying to Register a Layout-Design pages 312–316
   13. 75 Opposition, Correction and Registration pages 317–320
   14. 76 Jointly Owned Layout-Designs pages 321–324
   15. 77 Ten Years, and the Two Dates It Can Run From pages 325–328
   16. 78 The Rights Registration Confers, and What Infringes pages 329–334
   17. 79 Assignment, Transmission and the Change of Proprietor pages 335–339
   18. 80 Registered Users pages 340–346
   19. 81 Rectification and Correction of the Register pages 347–351
   20. 82 The Layout-Design Appellate Board, and Why It Does Not Exist pages 352–359
   21. 83 Compulsory Licensing, and What Section 40 Actually Does pages 360–365
   22. 84 Appeals, the Board's Procedure and the Bar of Jurisdiction pages 366–371
   23. 85 The Offences Under the Act pages 372–376
   24. 86 Defences, Forfeiture, Companies and Criminal Procedure pages 377–382
   25. 87 The Security of India, Good Faith and the Implied Warranty pages 383–387
   26. 88 The Registrar's Powers, Evidence and Preliminary Advice pages 388–392
   27. 89 Evidence, Agents and the Remaining Provisions pages 393–399
   28. 90 Convention Countries, Reciprocity and the Rules pages 400–406
   29. 91 A Statute That Has Almost Never Been Used pages 407–416

   Module IV 49 chapters

   1. 92 The Two Halves of This Module pages 417–421
   2. 93 What a Trade Secret Is, and What Confidential Information Is pages 422–426
   3. 94 Saltman and the Birth of the Modern Action pages 427–431
   4. 95 Coco v A N Clark: The Three Elements pages 432–435
   5. 96 The First Element: The Quality of Confidence pages 436–439
   6. 97 The Second Element: Circumstances Importing an Obligation pages 440–444
   7. 98 The Third Element: Unauthorised Use, and Whether Detriment Is Needed pages 445–448
   8. 99 The Springboard Doctrine pages 449–453
   9. 100 Employees, Ex-Employees and the Duty of Good Faith pages 454–458
   10. 101 Section 27 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872 pages 459–463
   11. 102 Restraints During Employment and After It pages 464–468
   12. 103 Customer Lists and the Departing Employee pages 469–473
   13. 104 How to Protect a Trade Secret in Practice pages 474–478
   14. 105 Remedies for Breach of Confidence pages 479–483
   15. 106 Trade Secrets and Patents pages 484–488
   16. 107 Trade Secrets and Copyright pages 489–493
   17. 108 Protecting Undisclosed Information pages 494–498
   18. 109 Undisclosed Information: Terminology, Definition and Scope pages 499–503
   19. 110 TRIPS Article 39 and the International Obligation pages 504–508
   20. 111 Article 39.3 and the Protection of Regulatory Test Data pages 509–513
   21. 112 National Legislation Compared: The United States, Europe and China pages 514–519
   22. 113 The Law Commission's Report No. 289 and the Bill of 2024 pages 520–527
   23. 114 What Data Protection Is, and How It Differs From Confidentiality pages 528–532
   24. 115 Privacy as a Fundamental Right: Puttaswamy pages 533–537
   25. 116 The United Kingdom's Data Protection Act 1998 pages 538–543
   26. 117 The European Scheme and the General Data Protection Regulation pages 544–549
   27. 118 Indian Data Protection Before the Act pages 550–556
   28. 119 The Road to the Act: Srikrishna and Three Bills pages 557–561
   29. 120 The Scheme of the Act, and What Is Actually in Force pages 562–567
   30. 121 The Definitions the Act Turns On pages 568–572
   31. 122 Where the Act Applies, and Where It Does Not pages 573–577
   32. 123 The Grounds for Processing, and the Notice pages 578–582
   33. 124 Consent, Its Withdrawal, and the Consent Manager pages 583–588
   34. 125 Certain Legitimate Uses pages 589–594
   35. 126 The General Obligations of a Data Fiduciary pages 595–599
   36. 127 Children and Persons With a Disability pages 600–604
   37. 128 Significant Data Fiduciaries pages 605–609
   38. 129 The Rights of a Data Principal pages 610–614
   39. 130 The Duties of a Data Principal pages 615–619
   40. 131 Transfer Outside India, and the Exemptions pages 620–626
   41. 132 The Data Protection Board of India pages 627–632
   42. 133 The Board's Powers, and the Procedure on a Complaint pages 633–638
   43. 134 Appeal, Mediation and the Voluntary Undertaking pages 639–643
   44. 135 Penalties, and the Schedule That Fixes Them pages 644–648
   45. 136 Government Powers, Consistency and the Bar of Jurisdiction pages 649–654
   46. 137 The Rule-Making Power, Laying and the Power to Amend the Schedule pages 655–660
   47. 138 The Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 pages 661–671
   48. 139 What the Act Does to the Right to Information Act and the Information Technology Act pages 672–677
   49. 140 The Two Halves Together pages 678–683
   Every paper that is solved: 6 papers

   • 2025-26
   • 2024-25
   • 2019
   • 2018
   • 2016
   • 2015

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