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D.Gowthami Reddy, Partner, M/s.Pentallect Partners

IP UNFOLD - Weekly IP Info Dec 29 - Jan 4, 2025

IP UNFOLD -    Weekly IP Info    1) Should Gukesh Dommaraju register his name as a trademark? World Chess Champion Gukesh Dommaraju should consider trademarking his name and likeness, says legal expert Raghav Malik. With rising fame after his 2024 World Championship win, he risks unauthorized use by brands, similar to what Indian athlete PV Sindhu faced. Registering trademarks or securing image rights could protect his brand value and prevent misuse.   2)   KIPO warns Indonesian “Korean Ramyeon” commercial with NewJeans might deceive customers KIPO raises concerns over Indomie’s "Korean Ramyeon" product, fearing it may mislead consumers into thinking it's Korean-made. The product, endorsed by K-pop group NewJeans, has gained viral attention, prompting discussions about potential intellectual property issues. 3) Uzbekistan joins the Hague System Uzbekistan joins the Hague System, expanding WIPO’s global design coverage to 98 countries. Effective January ...
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D.Gowthami Reddy, Partner, M/s.Pentallect Partners

'INDIAN THATHA'- A MONITISABLE IP

 



The movie ‘INDIAN’ directed by Director Shankar; released in the year 1996 was a mammoth block buster. Actor Kamal Hassan in the role of the daring & dashing old man or what the fans fondly call as ‘INDIAN THATHA’ out did himself (naturally). The celebrated character ‘INDIAN THATHA’ with the very intriguing costume had also become quite famous. Nevertheless, the potential of the character as a monitisable intellectual property is quite under played by the makers. However, the characters potential has been clearly displayed in the sequel ‘INDIAN 2’ in its grand and pompous song THATHA VARARU. That being said, I wonder whether the authors are contemplating to exploit the character sooner or later. If the character is copyrighted, the protection given under Indian copyright law for an artistic work is author's lifetime plus 60 years after their death. Which means the character/artistic work is awarded protection for nearly 120 years. 

In my opinion, I can clearly see a native super hero in ‘INDIAN THATHA’ and other prominent characters from that banner with an immense potential to  entertain and mesmerise  young, old and little fans through their adventures of saving people in distress. Finally yet importantly, merchandise is always an big avenue for exploiting certain types of intellectual properties; in the given case it is the ‘INDIAN THATHA’. 

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