TRADEMARK LAW SYLLABUS

Hons. II ( IXth & VIIth Semester)

By: Kuhu Tiwari

I. INTRODUCTION:
1. Meaning & Characteristics of a Trademark.
2. Meaning & Characteristics Protection:
 Evolution of ‘Marks’/ Proprietary Marks.
 Development of Trademark protection in India.
3. Foundations and Functions of Trademarks .
4. International Developments & Dimensions of Trademark Protection:
a) Paris Convention For The Protection Of Industrial Property, 1883
b) Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs), 1995.
c) Madrid System for International Registration of Marks:
 Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks,
1891
 Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement, 1989
d) Trademark Law Treaty, 1994.
e) Nice Agreement, 1957 (Nice classification of classes of goods & Services)
f) Vienna Agreement, 1973 (Vienna Classification)
5. Categories of trademarks
a) Non-Conventional trademarks: Well-known marks, certification marks, collective
trademarks, series trademark and associated trademarks.
b) Non-Conventional trademarks: Smell Marks, Sound Marks. Colour Marks
(Single Colour), Taste Marks, Moving Images/ Hologram/ Gesture, Three
Dimensional Trademarks.

References for Module 1:

1. Lionel Bently and Brad Sherman, Intellectual property law, Oxford University Press, (2014)

 Meaning & Characteristics.

 Evolution of ‘Marks’/ Proprietary Marks.
 Foundations and Functions of Trademarks
 Few International developments.

2. Kerly’s Laws of Trademarks & Trade Names, Sweet & Maxwell

 Non-Conventional trademarks
 Conventional trademarks

3. WIPO’s Portal

 Summary of all the treaties :

e.g. Summary of the Paris Convention, http://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/ip/paris/summary_paris.html
4. Core Bare Act:
 Development of Trademark protection in India.
 Discussed definitions under the Act.
5. Ananth Padmanabhan, Intellectual Property Rights Infringement and Remedies, Lexis Nexis-
Butterworths,2012.
 For case references.

II. CREATION OF TRADEMARK AND GROUNDS FOR REFUSAL:

II.1: Creation of trademarks:
a) The distinctiveness spectrum
b) Concept of Acquired distinctiveness and Generic marks
II.2: Grounds for Refusal of Trademark Protection
a) Absolute grounds for refusal
b) Relative grounds for refusal
Reading Refrences
1. Distinctiveness Spectrum: online resources
2. Concept of acquired distinctiveness:
 Cases: Windsurf Case, Durga Dutt Sharma v. Navratna Pharmaceuticals and
 Trademark Manual.
3. Cases forS.9(1) & S.9(2):
 Bisleri International v. Dr. Dadi Balsara case is available in Ananth Padmanabhan,
Intellectual Property Rights Infringement and Remedies, Lexis Nexis- Butterworths,2012.
 S.9(2): Trademark Manual,
4. S.9(3): Limitations to shape of Goods: Manual, Kerly’s Laws of Trademarks & Trade Names, Sweet
& Maxwell, Philips v. Remington case.
5. Relative grounds for refusal: Bare Act, Manual, and cases discussed in class, Kerly’s Laws of
Trademarks & Trade Names, Sweet & Maxwell.

III. REGISTRATION OF TRADEMARKS:

1. Procedure for Domestic Filing of Trademarks.
2. Procedure for International Filing of Trademarks.
3. An Overview of Certification trademark filing procedure.

IV. COMMERCIAL DEALING WITH TRADEMARKS

1. Trademarks as property: An overview
2. Licensing of registered trademarks: Scope & Limitations
3. Assignment of Trademarks: Concept & Practice
 Assignment of trademark with goodwill
 Assignment of trademarks without goodwill
IV. ENFORCEMENT OF TRADEMARK RIGHTS:
A. Registered Trademark
1. Infringement of trademarks
 Unauthorized use & Likelihood of confusion
 Secondary liability / contributory liability
2. Defenses against trademark infringement
 Use of Registered trademark
 Use of Name or address
 Use to indicate intended purpose of a product or services
 Descriptive use
 Local Use
 Exhaustion
3. Revocation & Invalidity
B. Unregistered Trademarks: Passing Off
1. General principles: Foundation & Nature of action
2. Evidences in passing off action: Goodwill, Misrepresentation & Damage.
3. Scope of Passing off
4. Difference between infringement and passing off
5. Protection of Well Known trademarks

VI. REMEDIES AGAINT THE INFRINGMENT ANF PASSING OFF:

Civil
Criminal
Administrative

VII. CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

 Parallel importation and its legality under the Act
 Trademark & The Internet: An overview
 Disparagement & Comparative advertisement.
 Trademarks & Competition related issues
 Character &Celebrity Merchandising