Safeguarding Intellectual Property: Infringement Laws, Legal Framework and Remedies in India

Posted On - 7 March, 2025 • By - Shambhavi Sharma

Introduction

Laws of infringement form the backbone of intellectual property legal protection, allowing the rights of inventors, creators, and businesses to be protected from illicit use. Laws of infringement occur across a myriad of spheres covering trademarks, patents, copyrights, designs, and geographical indications. Illicit use of covered intellectual property leads to economic losses, damage to business reputation, as well as to unfair competition. Legal actions that can be awarded for infringement encompass monetary awards, injunctions, and in worst-case scenarios, criminal prosecutions.

Understanding Infringement Laws

Infringement is the issue when a person or organization does not have the permission to use, copy, or duplicate someone else’s legally protected intellectual property without prior authorization. Infringement laws have been made to prevent such illegal exploitation and give all parties a fair chance to compete in the market. The key categories of IP infringements cover trademark infringement, design infringement, copyright infringement, patent infringement, geographical indication (GI), and geographical indication (GI).

Trademark Infringement

Definition- Trademark infringement arises where a party that has no authorization uses a mark, logo, name, or sign that is deceptively similar or identical with an existing registered trademark. Such use can create confusion among customers about the origin, source, or quality of goods or services

  • The Trade Marks Act, 1999 is the legislation that provides protection for trademarks in India.
  • Section 29 specifically lays down trademark infringement as the unauthorised application of a registered trademark in such a way which is likely to cause confusion or deception to customers.
  • Section 30 prescribes defences to infringement, including fair use and bona fide descriptive use.
  • Relief includes perpetual or temporary injunctions, financial compensation, and confiscation of spurious goods

Patent Infringement

Definition- Patent infringement takes place when a party makes, uses, sells, or distributes a patented invention without permission from the patent owner. Patents provide inventors with exclusive rights for a limited time, generally 20 years, to avoid unauthorized exploitation.

  • The Patents Act, 1970 governs patent protection in India.
  • Section 48 gives patentees exclusive rights so that they can stop third parties from using the invention without permission.
  • Direct infringement takes place where an invention is utilized illegally.
  • Indirect infringement takes place when a third person assists or causes another entity to infringe upon a patent.

Definition- Copyright infringement takes place when a work that is protected—like literature, music, movies, software, or artistic works—is copied, distributed, or publicly performed without the owner’s permission

  • The Copyright Act, 1957 regulates copyright protection in India.
  • Section 51 states that infringement is unauthorized reproduction or adaptation of a copyrighted work.
  • Section 52 grants fair use exceptions for education, research, and critical commentary.
  • Remedies include monetary compensation, injunctions, and criminal sanctions.

Design Infringement

Definition- Design infringement is the unauthorized copying of the aesthetic characteristics of a registered design, including shape, configuration, pattern, or colour.

  • Design protection is governed by the Designs Act, 2000.
  • Section 22 makes it unlawful to reproduce registered designs without authorization.
  • Remedies are damages, injunctions, and destruction of infringing goods.

Geographical Indications (GI) Infringement

Definition- GI infringement is when a product makes a false geographical claim of origin, deceiving consumers into believing it is authentic.

  • Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 regulates GI protection.
  • Section 21 prohibits unauthorized use of registered GIs.

Case Laws

  • Cadila Healthcare Ltd. v. Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd.[1] (2001) – The Supreme Court emphasized that phonetic similarity can constitute infringement, irrespective of whether the goods are of the same category.             
  • Roche v. Cipla[2]– The Delhi High Court examined the issue of public interest in pharmaceutical patents, ruling that generic versions of life-saving drugs may be permissible under certain conditions.
  • Novartis AG v. Union of India[3] – The Supreme Court denied Novartis’s patent for the cancer drug Glivec, reinforcing India’s stringent standards on patentability and preventing evergreening.
  • India TV v. Yashraj Films[4] – Addressed fair use in television broadcasting, setting a precedent for media companies.
  • Super Cassettes Industries Ltd. v. MySpace Inc. (2011)[5] – The Delhi High Court ruled on intermediary liability for hosting copyrighted content on digital platforms.
  • Gorbatschow Wodka KG v. John Distilleries (2011)[6] – The Bombay High Court ruled that a distinctive bottle shape is protected as a registered design, preventing unauthorized imitation.
  • Tea Board India v. ITC Ltd. (2011)[7] – Reinforced the protection of ‘Darjeeling Tea’ as a geographical indication.
  • Recently, The Delhi High Court cancelled the trademark registration of ‘javapoint’ in a plea filed by Oracle America Inc., which owns the rights over the JAVA software. Justice Amit Bansal ruled that ‘javapoint’ is deceptively similar to Oracle’s JAVA marks and is likely to cause confusion among consumers. Oracle, which has used the JAVA trademark since the 1990s for software and training services, argued that the respondent, Sandeep Khandelwal, adopted the mark dishonestly to benefit from Oracle’s goodwill. The court noted that Khandelwal did not file a reply, implying an admission of Oracle’s claims. The registration was deemed contrary to Sections 9, 11, and 18 of the Trade Marks Act and was ordered to be removed under Section 57
  1. Civil Remedies:
    • Permanent and temporary injunctions
    • Monetary damages
    • Seizure of infringing goods
  2. Criminal Remedies:
    • Imprisonment (applicable in trademark and copyright cases)
    • Fines and penalties
  3. Administrative Remedies:
    • Customs authorities can seize infringing goods under the Customs Act, 1962

Conclusion

Intellectual property infringement enforcement ensures the strongest protection of intellectual property right owners and continued innovation. This protection has had the sanction of courts, ensuring adequate redress for companies and creators. As technology continues to advance, so will the rules of IP enforcement, which will have to confront the inherent new challenges on infringement awareness and enforcement.

[1] Cadila Health Care Ltd. v. Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd., (2001) 5 SCC 73

[2] F. Hoffmann-LA Roche Ltd. v. Cipla Ltd., 2008 SCC OnLine Del 382

[3] Novartis AG v. Union of India, (2013) 6 SCC 1

[4] India TV Independent News Service (P) Ltd. v. Yashraj Films (P) Ltd., 2012 SCC OnLine Del 4298

[5] Super Cassetes Industries Ltd. v. Myspace Inc, 2011 SCC OnLine Del 3131

[6] Gorbatschow Wodka KG v. John Distilleries Ltd., 2011 SCC OnLine Bom 557

[7] Tea Board v. I.T.C. Limited, 2011 SCC OnLine Cal 2834

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