📚 IPR — MASTER CASE LAW COMPENDIUM
📘 Distinction-Level Revision Table
(Facts + Issues + Held + Principle + Relevance + Exam Importance)
⚖️1. Eastern Book Company v. D.B. Modak
Category Details
📚 Topic Copyright / Originality
Eastern Book Company added paragraph numbering, editorial
🧾 Facts corrections, headnotes, and formatting to Supreme Court
judgments. Competitors reproduced these additions.
Whether editorial additions to judgments possessed sufficient
❓ Legal Issue
originality for copyright protection.
Supreme Court rejected the pure “sweat of brow” doctrine and
⚖️Held
held that originality requires at least minimal creativity.
🌟 Principle
“Modicum of creativity” standard adopted in Indian copyright law.
Evolved
🌍 Relevance Foundation of Indian originality jurisprudence.
🎯 Exam
MOST IMPORTANT copyright originality case.
Importance
⚖️2. Feist Publications Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co.
Category Details
📚 Topic Originality / Sweat of Brow
Telephone directory listings were copied. Plaintiff argued that
🧾 Facts
extensive effort justified copyright protection.
❓ Legal Issue Whether mere labour and effort sufficient for copyright.
⚖️Held Facts themselves not copyrightable. Minimal creativity required.
🌟 Principle
Strong rejection of “sweat of brow” doctrine.
Evolved
🌍 Relevance Influenced modern originality standards globally.
🎯 Exam
Extremely important originality jurisprudence.
Importance
⚖️3. University of London Press Ltd. v. University Tutorial Press Ltd.
Category Details
📚 Topic Originality
🧾 Facts Examination papers copied by competitor publication.
❓ Legal Issue Meaning of originality in copyright law.
Originality means work originates from author and is
⚖️Held
not copied.
🌟 Principle
Novelty not essential for originality.
Evolved
🌍 Relevance Classical originality case.
🎯 Exam
Frequently cited in copyright theory.
Importance
⚖️4. R.G. Anand v. Delux Films
Category Details
📚 Topic Copyright Infringement
🧾 Facts Plaintiff alleged movie copied his play.
❓ Legal Issue Test for copyright infringement.
No infringement unless substantial similarity in protected
⚖️Held
expression exists.
🌟 Principle
Idea-expression dichotomy strongly recognized.
Evolved
🌍 Relevance Landmark Indian infringement test.
🎯 Exam
MOST IMPORTANT copyright infringement case.
Importance
⚖️5. Novartis AG v. Union of India
Category Details
📚 Topic Patent Law / Section 3(d)
Novartis sought patent over modified anti-cancer drug Glivec.
🧾 Facts
India rejected claim under Section 3(d).
Whether modified version demonstrated enhanced therapeutic
❓ Legal Issue
efficacy.
⚖️Held Supreme Court rejected patent application.
Category Details
🌟 Principle
Minor modifications without enhanced efficacy not patentable.
Evolved
🌍 Relevance Landmark anti-evergreening jurisprudence.
🎯 Exam
MOST IMPORTANT Indian patent law case.
Importance
⚖️6. Bayer Corporation v. Natco Pharma Ltd.
Category Details
📚 Topic Compulsory Licensing
Bayer’s patented cancer drug sold at extremely high prices.
🧾 Facts
Natco sought compulsory license.
❓ Legal Issue Whether public interest justified compulsory licensing.
⚖️Held Compulsory license granted to Natco.
🌟 Principle
Access to affordable medicines may outweigh patent monopoly.
Evolved
🌍 Relevance Landmark public health-oriented patent case.
🎯 Exam
MOST IMPORTANT compulsory licensing case.
Importance
⚖️7. Diamond v. Chakrabarty
Category Details
📚 Topic Biotechnology Patents
Patent sought over genetically modified
🧾 Facts
microorganism.
❓ Legal Issue Whether living modified organisms patentable.
⚖️Held Patent protection allowed.
🌟 Principle
Expanded biotechnology patentability.
Evolved
🌍 Relevance Landmark biotech patent case globally.
🎯 Exam
Important advanced patent jurisprudence.
Importance
⚖️8. Cadila Health Care Ltd. v. Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Category Details
📚 Topic Trademark / Deceptive Similarity
Two pharmaceutical companies used similar medicinal
🧾 Facts
trademarks causing confusion concerns.
❓ Legal Issue Test for deceptive similarity in medicinal products.
Supreme Court adopted stricter confusion standard for
⚖️Held
medicines.
🌟 Principle
Public health concerns require heightened trademark scrutiny.
Evolved
🌍 Relevance Landmark deceptive similarity jurisprudence.
🎯 Exam
MOST IMPORTANT trademark infringement case.
Importance
⚖️9. Yahoo! Inc. v. Akash Arora
Category Details
📚 Topic Domain Names / Cyber Law
Defendant used deceptively similar domain name
🧾 Facts
“Yahooindia”.
❓ Legal Issue Whether domain names receive trademark-like protection.
Court granted protection recognizing commercial significance
⚖️Held
of domain names.
🌟 Principle
Domain names protected under trademark principles.
Evolved
🌍 Relevance Landmark cyber trademark case.
🎯 Exam
MOST IMPORTANT domain name case.
Importance
⚖️10. Turmeric Patent Case
Category Details
📚 Topic Traditional Knowledge / Biopiracy
US patent granted for turmeric wound-healing properties
🧾 Facts
already known traditionally in India.
❓ Legal Issue Whether traditional knowledge can satisfy novelty requirement.
Category Details
⚖️Held Patent revoked.
🌟 Principle
Traditional knowledge destroys novelty.
Evolved
🌍 Relevance Landmark anti-biopiracy precedent.
🎯 Exam
MOST IMPORTANT TK case.
Importance
⚖️11. Neem Patent Case
Category Details
📚 Topic Biopiracy / Traditional Knowledge
Patent granted over neem-based agricultural uses traditionally
🧾 Facts
known in India.
❓ Legal Issue Whether existing traditional knowledge defeats patentability.
⚖️Held Patent revoked.
🌟 Principle Traditional community knowledge cannot be monopolized
Evolved through patents.
🌍 Relevance Important biodiversity/IP jurisprudence.
🎯 Exam
Very important TK and biodiversity case.
Importance
⚖️12. Midas Hygiene Industries Pvt. Ltd. v. Sudhir Bhatia
Category Details
📚 Topic Trademark Remedies / Injunction
Trademark infringement and passing off dispute involving
🧾 Facts
deceptive marks.
Whether injunction should be granted promptly in
❓ Legal Issue
infringement cases.
Delay should not defeat injunction in clear infringement
⚖️Held
matters.
🌟 Principle
Strong judicial protection for trademark owners.
Evolved
🌍 Relevance Important injunction jurisprudence.
Category Details
🎯 Exam
Useful for enforcement answers.
Importance
⚖️13. Parle Products (P) Ltd. v. J.P. & Co.
Category Details
📚 Topic Deceptive Similarity
Packaging and wrapper designs closely resembled plaintiff’s
🧾 Facts
biscuit products.
❓ Legal Issue How deceptive similarity should be assessed.
⚖️Held Overall impression on ordinary consumers important.
🌟 Principle
Marks assessed as a whole, not dissected mechanically.
Evolved
🌍 Relevance Important consumer confusion jurisprudence.
🎯 Exam
Frequently cited trademark case.
Importance
⚖️14. Amritdhara Pharmacy v. Satya Deo Gupta
Category Details
📚 Topic Passing Off / Deceptive Similarity
Competing medicinal products used similar names
🧾 Facts
“Amritdhara” and “Lakshmandhara.”
❓ Legal Issue Whether phonetic similarity likely to confuse consumers.
⚖️Held Court recognized likelihood of confusion.
🌟 Principle
Phonetic resemblance important in passing off.
Evolved
🌍 Relevance Foundational Indian passing off case.
🎯 Exam
Very important trademark/pass-off jurisprudence.
Importance
⚖️15. Entertainment Network (India) Ltd. v. Super Cassette Industries
Ltd.
Category Details
📚 Topic Copyright / Compulsory Licensing
Radio broadcasters sought compulsory licensing for
🧾 Facts
copyrighted music.
❓ Legal Issue Scope of compulsory licensing under copyright law.
⚖️Held Court discussed balancing creator rights and public interest.
🌟 Principle
Copyright protection subject to public-access considerations.
Evolved
🌍 Relevance Important copyright licensing case.
🎯 Exam
Useful for public interest analysis.
Importance
⚖️16. Super Cassettes Industries Ltd. v. MySpace Inc.
Category Details
📚 Topic Digital Copyright / Intermediary Liability
Copyright infringement allegations raised against online
🧾 Facts
platform hosting user-uploaded content.
❓ Legal Issue Liability of internet intermediaries for infringing uploads.
Court discussed safe harbour obligations and takedown
⚖️Held
responsibilities.
🌟 Principle
Intermediaries may receive conditional safe harbour protection.
Evolved
🌍 Relevance Important digital copyright jurisprudence.
🎯 Exam
Very important cyber/IP case.
Importance
📘 ADDITIONAL IPR MASTER CASE LAW DIGEST TABLE
⚖️COPYRIGHT + FAIR DEALING + PASSING OFF + TRADEMARKS
🎯 MBL SA | Distinction-Level Revision
17. India TV Independent News Service Pvt. Ltd. v. Yash Raj Films Pvt.
Ltd.
Component Details
Citation 2012 SCC OnLine Del 4298
Component Details
Topic De Minimis Principle / Copyright
India TV used brief excerpts of songs and movie clips during
Facts
programmes and advertisements without permission.
Whether trivial and minimal use of copyrighted material
Legal Issue
amounts to infringement.
Delhi High Court applied de minimis principle and held that
Held
trivial use may not constitute infringement.
Law does not concern itself with trifles (“de minimis non curat
Principle Evolved
lex”).
Key Judicial Size of harm, intent, market effect, duration of use, cost of
Factors litigation.
Why Important Landmark Indian de minimis copyright case.
Practical Very small, incidental, non-commercial use may escape
Understanding infringement liability.
Exam Importance Extremely High for fair dealing + de minimis questions.
Key Memory
“Trivial use ≠ infringement.”
Trigger
18. Civic Chandran v. Ammini Amma
Component Details
Citation 1996 PTC 329 (Ker.)
Topic Fair Dealing / Transformative Criticism
Defendant created a play heavily borrowing from plaintiff’s
Facts
copyrighted play to criticize its ideology and social themes.
Whether critical and transformative use constitutes
Legal Issue
infringement.
Held Kerala High Court protected the work under fair dealing.
Criticism and transformative engagement may justify copying
Principle Evolved
portions of copyrighted work.
Why Important Landmark Indian fair dealing and transformative-use case.
Practical
Copyright cannot suppress criticism or social commentary.
Understanding
Component Details
Exam
Extremely High for fair dealing essays.
Importance
Key Memory
“Transformative criticism protected.”
Trigger
19. The Chancellor, Masters & Scholars of Oxford v. Rameshwari
Photocopy Services
Component Details
Citation 2016 SCC OnLine Del 6229
Topic Educational Fair Dealing
Delhi University photocopy shop prepared course packs using
Facts portions of copyrighted textbooks without publisher
permission.
Whether educational course packs constitute copyright
Legal Issue
infringement.
Delhi High Court held educational reproduction permissible
Held
under Section 52.
Educational access and public interest are central to copyright
Principle Evolved
balance.
Why Important Landmark educational-use copyright case.
Practical Limited educational copying may fall within statutory
Understanding exceptions.
Exam
Extremely High. Frequently asked in past papers.
Importance
Key Memory
“Education-oriented copying protected.”
Trigger
20. Reckitt & Colman Products Ltd. v. Borden Inc.
Component Details
Citation (1990) RPC 341
Topic Passing Off
Defendant marketed lemon juice in packaging similar to
Facts
plaintiff’s famous lemon-shaped container (“Jif Lemon”).
Legal Issue Whether packaging imitation constituted passing off.
Component Details
House of Lords protected plaintiff’s goodwill and restrained
Held
defendant.
Classical Trinity of Passing Off: Goodwill + Misrepresentation +
Principle Evolved
Damage.
Why Important Foundational global passing-off authority.
Practical
Even packaging/get-up can acquire protectable goodwill.
Understanding
Exam Importance Extremely High. Most important passing-off case.
Key Memory
“Goodwill + Misrepresentation + Damage.”
Trigger
21. Erven Warnink B.V. v. J. Townend & Sons (Advocaat Case)
Component Details
Citation (1979) AC 731
Topic Extended Passing Off
Defendant marketed imitation “Advocaat” drink misleading
Facts
consumers regarding product nature and quality.
Whether passing off extends beyond trademarks to product
Legal Issue
characteristics and reputation.
House of Lords protected plaintiff against product
Held
misrepresentation.
Passing off protects product reputation and distinctive
Principle Evolved
character.
Why Important Expanded scope of passing-off doctrine.
Practical Misrepresentation about product nature may amount to
Understanding passing off.
Exam Importance Very High.
Key Memory
“Passing off protects product reputation.”
Trigger
22. Cadbury India Ltd. v. Neeraj Food Products
Component Details
Citation 2007 SCC OnLine Del 764
Component Details
Topic Passing Off / Packaging Similarity
Defendant used packaging resembling Cadbury’s “Eclairs”
Facts
confectionery products.
Legal Issue Whether similar packaging likely to confuse consumers.
Held Delhi High Court restrained defendant for passing off.
Likelihood of confusion sufficient; actual confusion not
Principle Evolved
necessary.
Why Important Important Indian packaging and consumer-confusion case.
Practical
Trade dress and packaging receive strong protection.
Understanding
Exam Importance Very High.
Key Memory
“Likelihood of confusion sufficient.”
Trigger
🏆 FINAL IPR MASTER MEMORY GRID
MOST IMPORTANT
Topic
CASE
Eastern Book
Originality
Company
Sweat of Brow Feist
Idea-Expression
R.G. Anand
Dichotomy
De Minimis India TV v. YRF
Fair Dealing Civic Chandran
Educational Use DU Photocopy Case
Evergreening Novartis
Compulsory Licensing Bayer v. Natco
Diamond v.
Biotechnology Patents
Chakrabarty
Deceptive Similarity Cadila
Passing Off Reckitt & Colman
Extended Passing Off Erven Warnink
MOST IMPORTANT
Topic
CASE
Packaging Confusion Cadbury v. Neeraj
Domain Names Yahoo v. Akash Arora
TK / Biopiracy Turmeric + Neem
Digital Copyright MySpace Case