Posts

India's Draft GUI & Icon Design Guidelines: A Critical Analysis

-
Image
  I. Introduction: From Judgment to Practice On 1 October 2026, the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM) released the draft Guidelines for Registration of Designs relating to Graphical User Interface (GUI) and Icons , inviting stakeholder comments. This draft marks the administrative sequel to the Calcutta High Court’s judgment dated 9 March 2026 in NEC Corporation & Ors. v. Controller of Patents and Designs (2026:CHC‑OS:69), wherein the Court categorically held that there is no per se exclusion of GUIs under Section 2(d) of the Designs Act, 2000. In my earlier analysis of that judgment , I described it as a watershed for digital design protection in India. The Calcutta High Court, however, also expressly recorded that there was “undoubtedly a lack of clarity in the Designs Office” and called for clarificatory guidance “either by Legislature or by the Controller.” The draft Guidelines now issued by the Controller stand as the admini...
Post a Comment
Read more

Conqueror Innovations v. Xiaomi – Legal Analysis and Commercial Implications

-
Image
  Conqueror Innovations v. Xiaomi – Legal Analysis and Commercial Implications Conqueror Innovations Pvt. Ltd. & Anr. v. Xiaomi Technology India Pvt. Ltd. , FAO(OS) (COMM) 147/2025 — Delhi High Court (Division Bench), decided 7 September 2026 Brief Summary In a judgment that will interest any technology company selling into India — and any patentee contemplating enforcement there — a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court has dismissed an appeal seeking to injunct Xiaomi's ubiquitous "Find Device" anti-theft feature. The Court upheld the Single Judge's conclusion that the patentee had failed to establish a prima facie case of infringement, that a nine-year delay disentitled it to interim relief, and that the balance of convenience lay with the manufacturer. The decision is notable less for any new rule of law than for the disciplined way it applies several settled ones at once: the narrow scope of appellate interference with discretionary interim orders...
Post a Comment
Read more