Law of Trademark (Honours)

Unit I — Introduction and historical development of trademark law

Meaning and characteristics of trademark · History & Evolution of trademarks · Justification for legal protection of trademark · Foundations and Functions of trademark

• Introduction to Trademarks and their Evolution in India
• Need for protection of Trademarks

Unit II — INTERNATIONAL LEGAL INSTRUMENTS RELATING TO TRADEMARK LAW

Paris Convention for Protection of Industrial Property, 1883 · Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs), 1995 · Madrid System for International Registration of Marks 1891 and Protocol, 1989. · Trademark Law Treaty, 1994 · Vienna Agreement, 1973 (Vienna Classification) and Nice Agreement, 1957 (Nice classification of classes of goods & Services). · The Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks 2006

• Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, 1883
• Trips Agreement, 1994

Unit III — SUBJECT AND CRITERIA OF PROTECTION UNDER TRADEMARK LAW

Conventional Trademarks · Non-conventional Trademarks · Test of distinctiveness – Spectrum of distinctiveness · Grounds for refusal of TM protection · Protection of Well-known marks

• Kinds of Trademarks: Registered and Unregistered, Conventional and Non-conventional
• Absolute grounds
• Relative grounds

Unit IV — REGISTRATION OF TRADEMARK

Steps and applications for registration · Registration for certification trademark, collective trademark, well-known trademarks · Other procedures including rectification, cancellation, etc.

• Opposition to Registration
• Rights of Proprietor of Trademark

Unit V — COMMERCIAL DEALING IN TRADEMARKS

Assignment · Licensing · Transmission

• Assignment and Licensing of Trademark

Unit VI — ENFORCEMENT OF TRADEMARK RIGHTS

Trademark infringement · Passing-off – The Trinity Test · Cross-border reputation and Trademark dilution · Defenses and Remedies · Provisions relating to the use and application of Counterfeiting marks/False marks under BNS

• Infringement and Passing Off
• Remedies and Defences for Infringement and Passing Off

Unit VII — EMERGING TRENDS IN TRADEMARK LAW

Legality of Parallel Importation · Domain Name disputes and Cyber-squatting · Disparagement and Comparative Advertisement · Character and Celebrity Merchandizing – Personality Rights · Green Trademarks and Greenwashing · Trademark, Adwords and Meta-tags · Trademark and NFTs