The year 2024 ushered in a series of transformative changes in India’s intellectual property rights landscape, driven by statutory updates designed to address the rapidly evolving nature of IP litigation. As technological advancements continue to reshape industries and create new challenges, India’s legal framework adapted to ensure intellectual property protection remains up-to-date and relevant. The surge in patent filings, design disputes, and trademark appeals have prompted the government to implement key legislative changes, aligning the IP system with modern innovation and enforcement needs.
One of the most significant milestones of the year 2024 was the Indian Patent Office (IPO) granting over 100,000 patents in a single year, cementing India’s efforts towards propelling innovation and IP commercialisation. To address the increasing number of patent-related disputes, the Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2024, introduced several changes, including changing the periodicity for filing working statements and ironing out practice issues related to filing of divisional patent applications. Additionally, the Protection of Trade Secrets Bill, 2024, was proposed to provide a dedicated legal framework for safeguarding trade secrets, reflecting the rising number of corporate espionage cases and cross-border technology disputes. Steps were taken to regulate competition in digital markets through the Draft Digital Competition Bill, 2024, which seeks to curb monopolistic practices by major digital enterprises.
The Trade Marks (Holding Inquiry and Appeal) Rules, 2024 were introduced to strengthen trademark enforcement, particularly in response to increasing domain name disputes and online brand misuse. Other crucial developments were the Intellectual Property Rights Division (IPD) Rules of the Calcutta High Court, 2023, decriminalisation of intellectual property laws through enforcement of Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023, and a progressive Union Budget 2024-25 that allocated significant resources to IP policy management and modernisation. The country’s participation in the WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, and Associated Traditional Knowledge and adoption of the Riyadh Design Law Treaty, 2024, further reflected the government’s long-term vision for a stronger IP ecosystem.
This compilation provides a comprehensive overview of the statutory updates of the year 2024 in India’s intellectual property laws and related sectors, serving as a valuable resource for stakeholders navigating this dynamic domain. These statutory updates demonstrate India’s commitment to creating an agile and transparent IP regime capable of addressing modern disputes. By proactively refining its legal framework, India is moving towards an innovation-driven economy while ensuring robust protection in an increasingly digital and competitive landscape.