Business and Intellectual Property-Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Business Books Series

Business & Intellectual Property reflects on the future of IP in the age of new shows how – in a rapidly changing business filed – manager and decision makers need to be more perceptive, agile and vigilant than ever before. Drawing on contemporary business affairs and strategies, it explores the nature and scope of IP and the evolution of national laws and global agreements like the TRIPS to protect it. It also explores the measures (the use of patents, copyrights and trademarks) used by some of the biggest brands – Coke, MGM, 20^th Century Fox, Microsoft, Maruti, Tata – to manage disputes and protect themselves. Accessible, clear and using a wide range of case studies this book gives an excellent overview of a subject that is becoming a key aspect of many businesses today.

There are many books on Intellectual Property Rights but there are hardly any basics books for laymen to have an idea on IPR. Author has put meticulous effort to prepare a book which can help to understand basics of IPR. This is not the text book like others. Main branches of IPR i.e. Patent, Trade Marks, Copyrights, Design, Geographical Indication, Trade Secrets have been discussed through the American and Indian Cases. Author has not given the entire judgment but the essence out of it. Selection of cases is based on familiarity of party’s name with the reader.

The book is divided into eight chapters. The first chapter talks about the introduction of IPR. The introduction has been explained by a hypothetical story that is called “The Pomegranate Story”. This story explains how a newly passed management student named Himanshu starts business of Pomegranate and grow it like anything through the various IP rights in form of Copyright, Trademark, Patents, Trade Secrets, Geographical Indication, Design. This short story tells the importance of IPR in nutshell.

The second chapter is about Patents. This is the longest chapter in the book. In this chapter author has described salient features of patent, historical perspective discussing of UK, USA and India, essential of patents. He has also highlighted cases on patents old one to latest one like Edison’s Bulb to Bajaj - TVS. The third chapter explains Copyright, its salient features. It also discusses piracy and plagiarism along with the cases on copyrights. Fourth chapter discuss Trademark, its salient features along with cases on Trademark.

Design Act has been explained in the fifth chapter. It tells about the salient feature of Design discussing American Law and thereafter Indian Law on Design. There are not many cases on design as being a new law but couples of cases have been highlighted. The sixth chapter is about Geographical Indication and Traditional Knowledge. This chapter explains salient features along with position of GI in American Law, European law and finally in India. Famous cases of Scotch Whisky, Basmati Rice have been discussed in this chapter. In this chapter Traditional Knowledge has also been included explaining the origin and importance of this rights along with couple of cases. In chapter seven Trade Secrets and Confidential Information has been included. Salient features, importance of TS & CI have been discussed. This chapter also highlights famous cases the American Express case and Diljeet Titus case. The last chapter (chapter eight) is all about the crux of Intellectual Property Rights explained in authors words. At the end some important definitions have been given in Appendix from the Patent Act, Trade Mark Act, Design Act, The Geographical Indication of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act.

The book is excellent one especially for people who do not know the basics of intellectual property rights. In another words I can say IPR for laymen. It will be difficult for beginners to understand the basics of IPR from other large literature which are too technical in nature. I have not come across of any book written on IPR in lucid manner. I feel every beginner should begin from this book to understand the Intellectual Property.

 

Kalpeshkumar L Gupta is Ph.D. Scholar at Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar.