Law and Practice
In India, trade marks are primarily governed under the Trade Marks Act 1999 and the Trade Marks Rules 2017, forming a comprehensive regulatory regime coupled with common law provisions.
In addition to the statute, official guidelines issued by the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM), such as the Trade Marks Manual, court precedents and decisions of the Trade Marks Office (TMO) govern several aspects of trade mark law in the country. Further, the decisions of High Courts are binding on lower courts in their respective jurisdictions and they form an important source of trade mark law.