Tag: Amazon

The registrability of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) has had a chequered past in India. This post discusses latest developments in this matter, including the fallout of a 2023 Calcutta High Court asking the Designs Office to reconsider an order rejecting the application for registering a GUI design. ......

Patents help innovators shield their ideas from being copied by competitors. Having a patent separates you from the crowd and puts you one step ahead of others. But patents are not just about standing out in a crowd. They help beat competitors, earn royalty through licensing, bring others to trial, earn returns, create a defensive mechanism, and much more. There is a whole world of benefits that patents open up. ......

If the 21st century has been defined by the information age, data then is the new global currency. Clive Humbly, who built Clubcard, the world’s first supermarket loyalty scheme a decade ago, used the metaphor ‘Data is the new Oil’, to explain how data is worthless, when left ‘unrefined’. Much like diamonds, only once it is mined and analysed does it create either extraordinary value, or can be manipulated into a dangerous tool. ......

In 2019 Amazon.com NV Investment Holdings (“Amazon”) had acquired a 49% stake in Future Coupons Limited (“Future Coupon”). As part of the transaction, Amazon was provided a ‘call’ option, which enabled it to exercise the option of acquiring all or part of Future Coupon’s promoter, Future Retail Limited’s (“Future Retail”) shareholding in the company (Future Coupon and Future Retail are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Future Group”). ......

In a landmark judgement in Amazon Seller Services Pvt. Ltd. v. Amway India Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. & Others, FAO(OS) 133/2019, a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court has permitted e-commerce platforms to sell and advertise products of Direct Selling Entities ("DSEs") without their consent....

The Delhi High Court recently restrained multiple e-commerce platforms from selling, offering to sell, advertising, or displaying products in breach of third party agreements. The court's orders, from July 2019, arose out of a set of seven suits filed by direct selling companies against e-commerce platforms, and will have far-reaching consequences for not only e-Commerce companies but also any 'intermediary' that offers a platform, marketplace or forum to users online....