Skip to main content
Practice area · Indian legal practice

Intellectual Property

Patents, Trademarks, Copyright, Designs — registration, infringement, opposition.

IP practice covers registration, opposition, infringement litigation, and rectification across patents, trademarks, copyright, and designs. The Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) was abolished in 2021 — IPAB jurisdiction now vests in the Commercial Courts and High Courts. Forums include the Patent Office, Trade Marks Registry, Copyright Board, and the courts.

Key statutes

Patents Act1970

Patent law in India; substantially amended by the Patents (Amendment) Act 2005 to comply with TRIPS.

Trade Marks Act1999

Replaced Trade and Merchandise Marks Act 1958.

Copyright Act1957

Statutory copyright regime.

Designs Act2000

Industrial design protection.

Geographical Indications of Goods Act1999

GI protection.

Tribunals Reforms Act2021

Abolished IPAB; transferred jurisdiction to Commercial Courts and High Courts.

Primary forums

  • Patent Office (Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata)
  • Trade Marks Registry (Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad)
  • Copyright Office
  • Commercial Courts (under the Commercial Courts Act 2015) — IP infringement suits over the pecuniary threshold
  • High Court — original side IP suits in Bombay/Calcutta/Madras/Delhi; appellate jurisdiction
  • Supreme Court of India

Common matters

  • Patent applications, oppositions (pre-grant and post-grant), revocations
  • Trademark applications and oppositions; infringement and passing-off suits
  • Copyright infringement suits and Anton Piller orders
  • Design infringement and rectification
  • GI registration and infringement
  • IP licensing disputes and franchise litigation

Limitation periods

Patents Act — pre-grant oppositions before grant; post-grant within 1 year of grant. Trade Marks Act Section 47 — non-use cancellation petitions after 5 years. Copyright infringement — Limitation Act 1963 Article 113 (3 years from infringement). Commercial-suit limitation generally 3 years.

CourtNetra workflow for intellectual property

IP matters in CourtNetra track filing-office reference numbers, oppositions, and renewal dates. Trademark renewal-date alerts surface 90 / 60 / 30 days before due. NyayaLens AI surfaces IP precedent on infringement tests, deceptive-similarity standards, and post-IPAB jurisdictional jurisprudence.

Run your intellectual property practice on CourtNetra

3-day free trial — no card required. Add a matter, watch court auto-fetch, run NyayaLens AI on your real brief.