Confidential Information is any information that has business or economic value because it is not known to others, and for which, appropriate measures are taken to protect secrecy. It can be any sort of information that fits into the said requirements. Business information, financial information, technical information, scientific information, plans, methods, client lists, designs, and any other such information that has economic value is protectable as confidential information, or trade secret. Protection of trade secrets and confidential information of a…
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) armed with the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) appears to be on a rampage like an unstoppable juggernaut, successfully foiling bid after bid, made by companies seeking to patent traditional knowledge. Few weeks ago, the media was abuzz with news that CSIR had successfully foiled a bid by Colgate-Palmolive to patent a Mouthwash formula containing “nutmeg”. This successful thwarting of the patent was soon followed by another victory when India foiled UK's Bid…
For a technology driven start-up or entrepreneur, patents form the most important intellectual assets. They provide the necessary exclusivity, and competitive advantage to start, build and grow the business. Patents are also considered as important assets by venture capitalists and investors before making investment decisions. So, every technology driven start-up must ensure that its technologies/inventions are properly protected under the patent regime. Once a decision on patent protection is made, the start-up company must file a patent application as soon…
The post below gives statistical information about the number of patent applications filed and granted under various fields of invention, in the past decade.
On the whole, a consistent rise has been seen with respect to the number of patent applications filed. The number of applications filed under the Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical fields show a considerable upsurge, while the number of applications filed in fields like bio-technology and food has plunged.
During the year 2008-2009, a total number of 16,061…
Choosing the right name/business representation word, logo, device or any other form of business representation is generally the first asset created by an entrepreneur, Often, entrepreneurs finalize on a name or logo and develop strong emotional attachment to it without proper research. While it is important to be passionate about the business and its representation, every entrepreneur must take the following steps before finalizing on a business representation: Ensure that the name, logo or any other representation shortlisted is capable…
Through Sinapse’s “Young Intellectuals” feature, we bring to you interviews with young Intellectual Property professionals, who are making a big difference in the Indian and Global Intellectual Property road-map. You could get a glimpse into the progress of the IP world, looking through their eyes. In this edition we bring to you Mr Somashekar Ramakrishna, Partner at Banana IP Counsels.
Interviewer: Dr. Kalyan C. Kankanala
Mr. Ramakrishna is a Partner and manages the Mechanical/Automotive patent division and prosecution division at BananaIP Counsels. Previously,…
Google's announcement that it would be using the house mark “ALPHABET” for its holding company sparked off a series of debates about trademark implications of using the said word. While numerous companies operate under the name "ALPHABET" as a part of their name, the leader of these companies seems to be BMW. BMW's representative has stated that Alphabet, a fleet services company operated by BMW is an important part of its business, and that BMW is considering the issue at…
Intellectual Property protection can provide business and competitive advantage to a company. While IP is assuming high importance for all companies, its value for a start-up can be extremely high, depending on the nature of the start-up. While IP, many a time, forms the core of technology/knowledge driven start-ups based on novel ideas, the spectrum of its value varies for others. Irrespective of the nature of a start-up, IP can help in gaining business/competitive value by: Providing the much needed…
Happy Independence Day everybody! As India celebrates its 69th independence day, we here at Sinapse wanted to join the festivities.
India is known for being the land of thinkers, intellectuals and innovators. Being the world's largest democracy, freedom is not just a word for us, it is a way of life. Freedom does not only mean breaking free from physical constraints, it also mean breaking-free from all shackles that restrain our freedom of thought. So let us salute every thinker,…
This post takes a look at top patent applicants in India among IT Companies and Research Institutions during the last decade.
Among IT Companies Samsung and Infosys have made noteworthy progress. Samsung especially has not only expanded its research activities in India, but has also increased its patent filings substantially.
Among research organisations, CSIR and ICAR figure among the top filers. IITs, and IISc are among the top applicants among educational institutes.
The tables below provide details of patent numbers for five organisations…