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. Kerlys Laws of Trademarks & Trade Names, Sweet & Maxwell

Non-Conventional trademarks
Conventional trademarks

3. WIPOs 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 NexisButterworths,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, Kerlys Laws of Trademarks & Trade Names, Sweet
& Maxwell, Philips v. Remington case.
5. Relative grounds for refusal: Bare Act, Manual, and cases discussed in class, Kerlys 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