Bombay HC Bars ‘CHEMCO’ as Trademark, Lets It Stay as Trade Name
The Bombay High Court has restrained Chemco Plast from using CHEMCO or CHEMCO PLAST as trademarks, but allowed use of CHEMCO as a trade name and domain after finding long concurrent use. The court stressed that trademark injunctions demand clear proof of proprietorship and continuous trademark use, not merely registration and objections to a rival’s parallel trading style.
Madras HC Kills ‘Sangeetham House of Veg’ for Settlement Breach
The Madras High Court has ordered the SANGEETHAM HOUSE OF VEG mark struck off after finding its continued use breached a court-recorded settlement requiring a name change. The court held that once a compromise is judicially recorded, a later trademark registration cannot override or rewrite the binding obligations parties have already accepted in earlier litigation.
Delhi HC Restores Kohinoor Seeds’ Suit, Backs Delhi Jurisdiction
The Delhi High Court has restored Kohinoor Seed Fields’ infringement suit against Veda Seed, holding that registrations for KOHINOOR marks in Delhi and a marketing agreement executed in Delhi were enough to confer territorial jurisdiction. Setting aside an order returning the plaint, the court held that these connections created a real, not illusory, link to Delhi.
Delhi HC Lets Dr. Reddy’s Export Semaglutide, Denies Novo Injunction
The Delhi High Court has refused Novo Nordisk interim relief on its Semaglutide patent IN 697, allowing Dr. Reddy’s to manufacture and export to countries where no patent subsists. Finding no strong prima facie infringement and accepting the genus-patent challenge, the court kept commercial sales in India barred but declined to block non-Indian supply chains.
Bombay HC Spices Down Kailash Masala’s ‘Mahalaxmi’ Claim
The Bombay High Court has dismissed Kailash Masala’s appeal seeking interim protection for the MAHALAXMI mark against rival spice maker Mahalaxmi Masala Products. Upholding the trial court, it found no compelling prima facie case or favourable balance of convenience, and held there was no ground to interfere with the refusal of temporary injunction at the interim stage.
Delhi HC Declines to Cancel Long-Standing HP Screw Trademark
The Delhi High Court dismissed the appeal seeking rectification of TM No. 1566805, holding that filing of the commercial suit could not justify rectification, the plea of fraudulent user did not survive, and the territorial limitation was not applicable. HP’s use since 2006 and in Maharashtra since 2010 was not in dispute. The effect of non-disclosure of assignment will be decided in the pending rectification petition, and pending applications were disposed.
Delhi HC: Pre-1965 Songs Can Play Without Licences
In a music copyright dispute, the Delhi High Court has held that certain uses of pre-1965 songs do not require licences because earlier copyright regimes created rights that have since lapsed. The ruling clarifies the treatment of archival musical works, reduces transactional friction for some public-interest or archival uses, and preserves limited exceptions tied to moral rights and express assignments.
Delhi HC Backs Rejection of Amylin–AstraZeneca Diabetes Patent
The Delhi High Court upheld the refusal of the patent application for a sustained-release exenatide injection, agreeing with the Controller that the claimed microsphere formulation combining exenatide, a sugar stabiliser and a non-aqueous triglyceride carrier was obvious in light of prior art disclosed in D1–D4, and therefore lacked the inventive step required under Section 2(1)(ja) of the Patents Act, 1970.
Karnataka HC Clears Classic Legends’ Revival of ‘YEZDI’ Brand
The Karnataka High Court has allowed Classic Legends to keep using the YEZDI mark for motorcycles, treating it as a bona fide brand revival. The court held that trademark rights, as intangible assets, do not survive prolonged non-use and non-renewal during liquidation, clearing the way for Classic Legends to carry the legacy brand forward.
Delhi HC Grills Woodland Over ‘Counterfeit’ Stock From Its Own Orders
The Delhi High Court has questioned Woodland after allegedly counterfeit shoes seized in a raid turned out to be stock produced under Woodland’s own purchase orders. The court summoned senior management, pulled up the company for withholding correspondence, and directed a monetary deposit, signalling that brand owners must come clean in anti-counterfeiting drives.
Delhi HC Awards ₹1.5 Lakh to Tommy Hilfiger Against Trader Selling Fake Branded Footwear
The Delhi High Court found a Kolkata trader liable for trademark infringement and passing off after he sold footwear falsely bearing Tommy Hilfiger’s registered marks. Holding that the counterfeit goods were likely to mislead consumers into believing they originated from the brand, the court awarded Tommy Hilfiger ₹1.5 lakh in notional damages.
NYT Sues Perplexity AI Over Massive News Scraping
The New York Times has sued Perplexity AI, alleging it scraped and reused millions of articles, including pay-walled content, to train and power its products without permission. Framed as a high-stakes clash between legacy media and AI aggregators, the suit could shape rules on training data, licensing and remedies for large-scale automated content ingestion.
OpenAI Ordered to Open Up ChatGPT Logs in Copyright Fight
OpenAI has lost a key bid to keep ChatGPT conversation logs sealed in US copyright litigation, with courts ordering broader disclosure. The ruling raises complex privacy and evidentiary issues for AI developers and users, and suggests judges may subject confidentiality claims over model inputs and user interactions to far tougher scrutiny in future.
Bobcat Drags Caterpillar to Court Over Loader Patents
Bobcat has sued Caterpillar in US courts and before trade regulators, accusing certain Caterpillar machines of infringing skid-steer loader patents and seeking damages plus an import ban. The dispute underscores fierce competition in construction equipment, where marginal advances in component design and operating systems underpin market share and premium pricing.
US Supreme Court to Weigh Cox ISP Copyright Liability
The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear a copyright showdown between Cox Communications and record labels over secondary liability for subscriber infringement. The case is expected to reshape ISP safe-harbour protections and intermediary liability standards, with ripple effects for platforms, rights-holders and connectivity providers worldwide.
Fastcase Sues Alexi in Legal-Tech IP and Antitrust Clash
Fastcase, backed by Clio, has sued rival legal-tech firm Alexi, alleging anticompetitive conduct and misappropriation of intellectual property tied to search algorithms and proprietary datasets. The clash highlights intensifying battles in AI-driven legal research, where curated content and algorithm quality are core assets and the boundaries of data and algorithmic IP remain contested.
