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In 2019, the multinational food and beverage major, PepsiCo sued a group of farmers in Gujarat, India, for ‘infringing’ a potato variety that it had registered under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001 (the Act). Predictably, this suit caused an uproar, highlighting the ambiguity in the Indian law on farmers rights, and revived debates on whether farmers can be sued for infringing plant variety registrations. ......

In view of the order no. 40-3/2020/DM-I(A) of the Ministry of the Home Affairs (MHA), the Office of Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademark (CGPDTM), has issued a Public Notice on April 20, 2020. According to the notice, all the officers of the rank of Deputy Controller and the above are required attend the office on all working days with immediate effect. ...

The total cost for bringing a new prescription drug to market is about USD 2 to 3 billion (DiMasi et al.). A significant portion of this cost is incurred in conducting clinical trials. The global clinical trials market size is expected to reach USD 69.8 billion by 2027, exhibiting a 5.1% compound annual growth rate (‘CAGR’) during the forecast period. ...

The Government of India has proposed a slew of amendments to the rules governing Geographical Indications (GIs), particularly with regard to the rights of authorised users under the law. On September 16, 2019, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, or DPIIT) issued draft rules, which propose various amendments to the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) (Amendment) Rules, 1999....