lawandjudgment.com

01/12/2025

The application, filed by Sumitomo Rubber in 2023, sought protection for a roselike floral fragrance applied to tyres. India has overtaken developed nations and set a new global gold standard with the graphic representation of protecting scents as trademarks.

India has overtaken developed nations and set a new global gold standard with the graphic representation of protecting scents as trademarks. ``The graphical representation of smell marks is first time captured in deciding the olfactory trademarks.This is a fusion of science and law to raise the standards for more authentic decisions than mere statements’’, Unnat P Pandit, the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks, told TOI.

``The trade mark in question satisfies the criteria laid down for registration under the Trade Marks Act, 1999, as it is clear, precise, self-contained, intelligible, objective and is represented graphically,’’ Pandit, said in a recent order accessed by TOI.

The Registry appointed senior IP practitioner Pravin Anand, managing partner of Anand and Anand, as amicus curiae, while Sumitomo was represented by Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. The graphical representation was prepared by IIT Allahabad.

``Non-conventional trademarks represent the natural next stage in the evolution of brand identity. As markets develop, consumers form associations not only through visual cues but also through sound, movement, shape, and scent. For India, recognising these marks is important not simply to keep pace with global practice, but because it reflects the adaptability of our statutory framework ’’, Anand said.

This decision demonstrates that Indian trademark law is capable of accommodating new and complex forms of brand identity when supported by rigorous scientific and legal evidence’’, he added.

11/09/2025

FBI needs your help! Contact FBI to help them with information regarding killing of Charlie Kirk to help them in investigation.

15/05/2025

The Council of Europe’s new Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer is the first of its kind, safeguarding the legal profession. It opened for signature today in Luxembourg.

This is the first-ever international treaty aimed at protecting the profession of lawyer in a context of increasing reports of attacks on the practice of the profession, whether in the form of harassment, threats or attacks, or interference with the exercise of professional duties.
Read more: https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/council-of-europe-convention-on-protecting-lawyers-opens-for-signature

23/04/2025

30/03/2025

तमिलनाडु के मंगलम गांव के 32 वर्षीय किसान सलाई अरुण ने अपनी मेहनत और समर्पण से 300 से अधिक दुर्लभ देशी सब्जियों के बीजों का संरक्षण किया है। बचपन से खेती में रुचि रखने वाले अरुण ने 2011 में जैविक कृषि वैज्ञानिक जी. नम्मालवर से प्रशिक्षण प्राप्त किया, जिससे उनका खेती के प्रति जुनून और बढ़ गया।

अरुण ने देखा कि किसानों के पास देसी सब्जियों के बीजों की कमी है। इस समस्या के समाधान के लिए उन्होंने 2021 में देशभर की यात्रा करने का निर्णय लिया, हालांकि उस समय उनकी जमा पूंजी मात्र 300 रुपये थी। इसके बावजूद, उन्होंने लगभग 80,000 किलोमीटर की यात्रा की और 500 से अधिक किसानों से मिलकर 300 से अधिक दुर्लभ सब्जियों के बीज एकत्रित किए।

अपने गांव में अरुण ने एक छोटे से बगीचे में इन लुप्तप्राय देशी फल-सब्जियों को उगाना शुरू किया। उन्होंने 'कार्पागथारू' नाम से एक बीज बैंक की स्थापना की, जिसके माध्यम से वे लौकी की 15, बीन्स की 20, टमाटर, मिर्च और तोरई की 10-10 किस्मों सहित कई अन्य सब्जियों के बीज उपलब्ध करा रहे हैं।

अरुण की यह पहल न केवल जैविक खेती को बढ़ावा देती है, बल्कि देशी बीजों के संरक्षण में भी महत्वपूर्ण योगदान देती है। उनकी कहानी प्रेरणादायक है और यह दर्शाती है कि समर्पण और मेहनत से किसी भी लक्ष्य को प्राप्त किया जा सकता है।

28/03/2025

Vanderbilt and WashU made a bold statement in the Wall Street Journal: Higher education is at a crossroads. They’re calling for academic freedom, free speech, and institutional neutrality—rejecting ideological conformity and disruptive protests. As universities face growing backlash against woke extremism, the tides are shifting. Society is waking up, and the demand for real learning and open debate is stronger than ever. Thoughts?

Read more: https://buff.ly/bQKjqRy

07/03/2025

The U.S. State Department updated a Level 2 travel advisory for the Turks and Caicos Islands, urging travelers to “exercise increased caution” due to crime, particularly in Providenciales, the nation’s most populated island.

The advisory's update warns travelers about the nation’s strict fi****ms and ammunition laws, which have resulted in severe penalties for American visitors. Even a single bullet found in a traveler’s luggage – whether brought by mistake or otherwise – can lead to immediate arrest, lengthy detention, and potential jail sentences of 12 years or more. Some U.S. citizens have been unable to leave the country for weeks after being caught with ammunition at the airport.

Source : USA today

07/03/2025

The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is pleased to invite public comments on its draft policy on cyber-enabled crimes under the Rome Statute.

The Office welcomes the engagement of all stakeholders in this new initiative to advance accountability for crimes under the Rome Statute enabled by conduct in cyberspace. The Office encourages comments from all partners, especially from States Parties, civil society, interested private sector corporations, and other organisations with particular expertise in this area.

This collective work will culminate in a final policy paper that will guide the Office in addressing the increasing importance of cyberspace to the exercise of the ICC’s jurisdiction at all stages of its work, including investigations and prosecutions. This will further promote transparency in the Office’s initiatives in this area, while also marking the start of further work to help develop standards, best practices, and frameworks for cooperation of potential relevance also to the efforts of national authorities.

The forthcoming policy paper draws on the crimes in the Rome Statute, considered in the context of principles and rules of international law more broadly. It will contribute to the growing body of materials seeking to affirm the international law standards governing cyber operations, and to further clarify the manner of their application.

Credits: International criminal court

07/03/2025

On February 14, 1876, a lawyer for Alexander Graham Bell and his business associate Gardiner Hubbard submitted a patent application for an invention called a "Improvement in Telegraphy." A well-known inventor from Highland Park, Illinois named Elisha Grey had asked for a patent caveat for a related invention from the same agency that same day. The fight for the rights to the invention that is now known as the telephone started on March 7, when the patent office accepted Bell's application. The final result would influence the growth of a significant industry as well as the nation's chances for social connection and communication.

The patent office awarded Bell U.S. Patent No. 174,465 on March 7, 1876. Three days later, on March 10, Bell successfully tested his invention, famously calling out to his assistant, Thomas Watson, "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you," in the first clear voice transmission. This timing—filing before a working model was fully proven—later fueled controversy.