Intellectual Property Appellate Board

Patent law was built for an era when invention was slow, costly and uncertain. But as AI compresses discovery timelines and slashes trial-and-error, the same 20-year legal monopolies that once rewarded ingenuity have begun over-shielding incumbents in ways that retard innovation and broader progress

India's startups have been applying for patents at a record pace, but a lack of follow-up efforts to obtain them shows that too much of it is just a marketing tactic to project an innovative image and impress investors. Here's what India must change to fix awry incentives.

The ruling upheld by the Supreme Court that strips India's competition watchdog of patent-related oversight could expose India's digital economy to risks. Markets, innovators and consumers could be hurt. For justice, balance protection of innovation with fair competition.

India's patent filings have soared but rising numbers mask a troubling reality: most patents show little innovation, with limited market impact. Many seem like marketing stunts. Worthy inventions take a lot more than ticking legal boxes to qualify for intellectual property protection.

As the patent for semaglutide nears its end, Novo Nordisk's dominance in the weight-loss market is being challenged. The lawsuits could pave the way for cheaper generics, catering to India's vast population battling obesity.

AI recreations of songs, like Saiyaara in Kishore Kumar's voice, pose risks to original artists, including loss of revenue and infringement on intellectual property rights.

Disney and Universal are suing AI image maker Midjourney for alleged copyright violation. But such allegations of intellectual property theft fail to acknowledge that AI models don't copy but learn. Just as humans do.

Countries faced with unilateral tariffs might consider such property a valid target for their response under international law. Article 22 of the WTO's dispute settlement understanding has had such a mechanism.

In cases of alleged intellectual property theft, such as OpenAI's Ghibli-style output, artists should have recourse to the law. The rationale of outlawing attempts to deceive consumers, as applied in crackdowns on counterfeits, must apply to AI too.

Royalty payments to multinational companies by their Indian units have been rising—even going above dividend payouts in some cases, as Sebi found. India needs shareholder vigilance and fiscal action to curb excesses