Licensing Digital Content to OTT Platforms in India: Navigating IP & Regulatory Risks
Introduction A tectonic shift, one that has brought the emergence of a new ecosystem in the Indian media over the past decade, is none other than the development of over-the-top or OTT platforms. These include Netflix, Zee5, Sony Liv, Amazon Prime Video, JioHotstar, Hulu and many more. The platforms are designed to offer a wide […]
IP Licensing in India: Legal Framework for Trademarks, Copyrights, Patents, Designs and Geographical Indications
Introduction Intellectual property means creations of the human mind. It covers inventions, books, art, designs, symbols, names, and images used in business. In today’s world, intellectual property rights are very important. Because many businesses earn money from ideas, brands, and technology, not only from physical property. So, IP laws play an important role in protecting […]
Standard Essential Patents and FRAND Licensing in India: Navigating the Intersection of Patent Law and Competition Policy
Introduction The smartphone which is used today is the result of thousands of technologies which are patented and which work in a coordinated fashion. When a device goes online to a 4G network, a video stream or a voice call is sent, it uses technical standards agreed upon protocols that make all devices and manufacturers […]
Impact Of India’s New Patent Rules, 2025 on Pharmaceutical Generic Licensing
Introduction India plays an important role in the global pharmaceutical industry as a major drug manufacturing hub that supplies generic medicines worldwide. Indian patent law is robust in protecting pharmaceutical innovations while preventing patent evergreening. It maintains a balance between intellectual property rights (IPR) and providing low-cost medicines remain accessible to the public. The recent […]
Streaming Barriers and Licensing Borders: The Global Legal Struggle Against Geo-Blocking
Introduction With the digitally networked world of today, streaming has remade content consumption beyond recognition. Platforms like Netflix are globally accessible, but simultaneously sustain territorial limits by the practice of geo-blocking – where user access to content is blocked on a geographical basis. The contradiction indicates deep fault lines between the dream of a borderless […]
IP Profit: How Startups Can Capitalize on Their Intellectual Property Through Licensing
Introduction Intellectual property (IP) is one of the most significant assets in the innovation economy for startups. Businesses in the technology, SaaS, biotech, deep-tech, and creative spaces have large amounts of intangible assets, such as patents, proprietary algorithms, software codes, brand identities, and confidential know-how. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has consistently emphasised that […]
The Compulsory Licensing Scheme Proposed by DPIIT – Why Debated?
Introduction India’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade recently floated a working paper that has stirred up a storm in both tech and creative circles. The idea centers on creating a single nationwide authorisation for AI companies to use copyrighted materials in training their models, paired with a royalty system to compensate creators. […]
The Significance of an IPR Licensing Agreement
Introduction Intellectual property licensing agreements sit at the heart of the modern knowledge economy. They quietly govern how ideas travel from lab to market, from creator to corporation, and from small startups to global supply chains. An IPR licensing agreement is a contract where the owner of an intellectual property right (patent, copyright, trademark, design, […]
IP Licensing as a Strategic Tool in the AI and Digital Content Era
Introduction In India’s contemporary digital economy, intellectual property licensing has assumed a position of strategic centrality in the commercial exploitation of intangible assets. Across technology, media, and data-driven sectors, licensing has increasingly displaced outright assignment as the preferred mode of IP monetisation, enabling right holders to retain ownership while permitting controlled and differentiated uses. This […]
Innovation Under Licence: A Critical Analysis of DPIIT’s Generative AI Copyright Proposal
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (“DPIIT”), on 8 December 2025, published a working paper titled “Generative AI and Copyright, Part I: One Nation, One Licence, One Payment: Balancing AI and Innovation”. The paper presents copyright issues related to the training of generative AI systems and provides a hybrid form of licensing […]