Trademark Insights
Commentary and explainers on regulatory developments and practical questions in Indian trademark practice.
- Insights
AI-Created Brand Names: Who Owns the Trademark?
15 October 2026 · Puneeth JK
If an AI tool suggests your brand name, who owns the trademark? The AI can't be the proprietor — and ownership was never the real question.
- Insights
Can You Really Own a Common Word as a Trademark?
8 October 2026 · Puneeth JK
A common word isn't automatically excluded from trademark protection — but it isn't automatically free either. Here's what decides it.
- Insights
When Two Trademarks Are Similar, But Not Identical
1 October 2026 · Puneeth JK
Two trademarks don't need to be identical to conflict. How "deceptive similarity" is assessed under Indian law, and when similar marks can coexist.
- Insights
What Recourse Do You Have With an Advocate — That You Don't Have With a Filing Platform?
12 August 2026 · Puneeth JK
An advocate owes you a professional confidentiality duty and answers to a State Bar Council. An unregulated filing platform owes you neither.
- Insights
Attorney-Client Privilege and Why It Matters for Who Handles Your Trademark Filing
7 August 2026 · Puneeth JK
Communications with an advocate are generally privileged under Indian law. A non-advocate filing service typically offers no such protection.
- Insights
Why 'Filing Only' Isn't the Same as 'Protected'
7 August 2026 · Puneeth JK
Submitting a trademark application isn't the same as having a protected mark. Here's the gap between the two, and what actually closes it.
- Insights
Why Trademark Strategy Matters Before You File, Not After
7 August 2026 · Puneeth JK
The decisions that shape a trademark's strength are mostly made before filing — name choice, classification scope, and timing. Fixing them after costs far more.
- Insights
What Trademark Registration Actually Costs in India
7 August 2026 · Puneeth JK
Trademark costs in India break into a fixed government fee and a variable professional fee. Here's how to actually compare options, not just headline prices.
- Insights
The CGPDTM's January 2026 Notice on Online Trademark Platforms, Explained
6 August 2026 · Puneeth JK
On 7 January 2026, the CGPDTM issued a notice addressing online trademark filing platforms and the Advocates Act's rules on legal advertising.
- Insights
Trademark Agent vs. Advocate: What's the Actual Difference?
6 August 2026 · Puneeth JK
Registered Trademark Agents and Advocates can both file trademarks in India, but their qualifications and scope of representation differ in ways that matter.