Patent Claim Construction: What Does “Claim Scope” Mean in Modern Patent Litigation?
A patent specification may describe a broad technical innovation. But the rights a patent holder can enforce depend on the words in the claims. If infringement is contested, a court has to work out what the claims actually cover. This process is called claim construction. Its result can determine whether an accused product is covered […]
OpenAI sued over “Astra” Trademark
OpenAI is being sued for trademark infringement over the name “Astra” for its GPT-6 AI model. On October 5, 2026, TradeSun Inc. brought the case in the U.S. federal court in the Northern District of California. In its complaint, TradeSun says it has used the ASTRA name for its AI software since 2021 and obtained […]
USPTO makes Madrid e-Filing the sole platform for initial U.S. based International Trademark Applications
If you own a U.S. trademark and want protection abroad, there’s a new way to start. Since October 1, 2026, WIPO’s Madrid e-Filing platform has been the default route for new international trademark applications based on a U.S. application or registration. It replaces the USPTO’s old TEASi system. So what does this mean for you? […]
India’s New Draft Biotech Patent Guidelines: What Patent Applicants Need to Know
Biotech patents are tricky. If you work with genes, living cells or new diagnostic tests, getting a patent means meeting both scientific and legal requirements and the two don’t always align. On 8 October 2026, IP India released draft guidelines for examining biotechnology patent applications. Stakeholders have 15 days from the publication date to submit […]
Supreme Court to Examine Patent Term Adjustment in India: What Could It Mean for Patent Owners?
The Supreme Court of India has issued notice on a plea in Gunjan Sinha v. Union of India that asks whether India should adopt a US-style Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) system. Today, a patent lasts 20 years from the filing date, so time spent during the patent examination process runs within that 20-year term. The […]
Pharmaceutical Patent Infringement in India: How Courts Compare Competing Drug Products?
What happens when two drug companies sell almost similar medicines but only one of them holds a patent? In pharmaceutical patent infringement cases, Indian courts examine whether the accused product or process falls within the scope of the patent claims. Depending on the case, issues such as validity and public interest including access to affordable […]
Generative AI Patent Landscape 2026: Trends, Key Players and Emerging Technologies
Generative artificial intelligence has moved into a different phase of patent activity. Only a few years ago, much of the patent discussion around GenAI centred on generative adversarial networks, early language-generation techniques and relatively narrow applications. The position in 2026 is considerably different. Large language models (LLMs) are now an important patent category in their […]
How AI Is Changing Patent Examination and Prosecution in 2026?
Artificial intelligence is no longer relevant to patent practice only because companies are seeking protection for AI-related inventions. It is now becoming part of the machinery through which patent applications themselves are searched, examined, prosecuted and managed. That distinction matters. By 2026, major patent offices are no longer discussing AI only as a future possibility. […]
Patent Ownership and Assignment in India: What the IIT Bombay Case Tells Inventors and Research Institutions
Who owns an invention developed within a university or research institution – the individual inventor or the institution? The answer cannot safely be determined merely by asking who conceived the invention, who supervised the research, or whose facilities were used. Patent ownership can turn on the institution’s intellectual property policy, the status of the researcher, […]
Delhi High Court on Section 14 Patent Hearings: Why a Pre-Grant Opposition Hearing Cannot Replace the Applicant’s Statutory Hearing
Patent prosecution and pre-grant opposition may concern the same patent application, and some of the objections raised in the two processes may overlap. Procedurally, however, they do not become one proceeding merely because they run alongside each other. The Delhi High Court has reinforced this distinction in Fresenius Kabi Ipsum SRL v. The Assistant Controller […]