Madras High Court Orders Patent Grant To North Face, Says Invisible Marker Technology Was Overlooked

The Madras High Court on 16 October set aside the refusal of a patent application filed by The North Face Apparel Corp. for its invention titled “Systems and Methods for End-to-End Article Management,” holding that the Patent Office had failed to properly assess the inventive step involved in the claimed technology. Justice K. Kumaresh Babu allowed the company's appeal under Section 117A of the Patents Act, 1970, and directed the Controller of Patents and Designs to grant a patent for the...

Madras High Court Directs Film Producer To Pay ₹1.22 Crore GST Dues To "Saakshyam" Dubbing Rights Buyer

The Madras High Court has directed film production company Shri Abishek Pictures and its partner Abhishek Venkat Nama to jointly and severally pay ₹1.22 crore to SPM Arts LLP towards GST dues arising from the assignment of dubbing rights for the Telugu film Saakshyam.Justice P.B. Balaji held that the production firm, having received the entire consideration of ₹7.5 crore and agreed to bear the GST liability under the assignment deed, was responsible for paying the applicable tax.The Court...

Madras High Court Stops Tamil Nadu Maritime Board From Prematurely Terminating Shop Licence

The Madras High Court has recently restrained the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board from prematurely terminating a shop licence after it chose to allot the premises through negotiations despite the availability of an open tender process, only to seek fresh bids before the agreed tenure expired.Justice K. Kumaresh Babu observed that the Board could not rely on a policy that was already available when it granted the original allotment as a reason to terminate the arrangement before its expiry.“It is to be...

Madras High Court Upholds Barytes Export Curbs, Orders DGFT To Decide Licence Plea In 4 Weeks

The Madras High Court has upheld the Centre's decision to restrict the export of certain grades of Barytes, a mineral used in industries including oil and gas drilling.It held that the government can regulate exports to conserve scarce mineral reserves.The bench further directed the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to decide a company's pending request for permission to export its existing stock within four weeks.A Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and...

Madras High Court Upholds Refusal To Register INEXO's FEDEXO Mark Over FedEx's Well-Known Trade Mark

The Madras High Court has upheld the refusal to register “FEDEXO” as a trade mark for INEXO Cast Metal Solutions Pvt Ltd, holding that FedEx's mark had acquired well-known status in India before INEXO applied in 2009.The Court said FedEx's inclusion in the Trade Marks Registry's list of well-known marks in February 2024 recorded that status and was not the sole basis for its finding.Justice A.D. Maria Clete dismissed INEXO's appeal on October 15, 2026.INEXO applied to register “FEDEXO” in...

Unregistered Guarantee, Undertaking Cannot Protect Property From Attachment: Madras High Court In Sun TV's Plea

The Madras High Court has recently held that Sun TV Network Limited could not claim protection from attachment based on an unregistered guarantee and undertaking. The court dismissed its application to release properties attached in proceedings initiated by Marina Holdings against N. Ramasamy, proprietor of Sri Thenandal Films.Justice K. Kumaresh Babu observed that Section 64(2) of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, requires the relevant contract for transfer or delivery to be registered before...

SBI Officers' Association Member's Removal Dispute Not Arbitrable Under Bye-Laws: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court has ruled that the State Bank of India Officers' Association's bye-laws did not provide for arbitration of a dispute over the removal of a member from the Association's membership and elected post.Justice K. Kumaresh Babu dismissed an application filed by former Regional Secretary G. Ganapathy seeking to stay the Association's July 28, 2026 order removing him from its Executive Committee and primary membership pending arbitration.“When that being the interpretation, this...

Madras High Court Sets Aside Refusal To Register Exponent Energy's 'EXPONENT' Trademark

The Madras High Court has set aside the Trade Marks Registry's refusal to register “EXPONENT” as a word mark for Exponent Energy Private Limited. The court ruled that the Registrar failed to explain why the mark could cause confusion and did not consider a statutory exception under the Trade Marks Act, 1999.Justice A.D. Maria Clete declined to direct acceptance of the mark for advertisement. The court remitted the application to the Registrar for fresh consideration within three months of the...

Madras High Court Grants Injunction Against Piracy Of Vijay Deverakonda's Ranaballi

The Madras High Court on Thursday granted an interim injunction to Mythri Movie Makers, producer of Ranaballi, to restrain the illegal recording, reproduction, and distribution of the film, which is being released in theatres today, October 16, 2026.The Telugu-language period action drama stars Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna.Justice P.B. Balaji passed the order on October 15, after the producer approached the court apprehending that the film could be illegally recorded and...

Madras High Court Closes Aamir Khan Productions' Copyright Suit Over “Batwara 1947” After Withdrawal

The Madras High Court has dismissed as withdrawn a copyright suit filed by Aamir Khan Productions Pvt Ltd to protect its film “Batwara 1947” from piracy.Justice P.B. Balaji recorded the withdrawal on October 13, 2026.The production house had sued 33 defendants. These included telecom operators and internet service providers such as Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio Infocomm and Vodafone India, as well as several local cable operators. It sought a permanent injunction...

VAT Payment Doesn't Exempt Fit-Out Charges From Service Tax, CENVAT Credit Allowed: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court on 12 October held that payment of Value Added Tax (VAT) on fit-out charges does not automatically exempt the same transaction from service tax. Further, a portion of the consideration for leased office premises must be attributed to fit-outs provided under the lease agreements. A Division Bench comprising Justices Anita Sumanth and C. Kumarappan upheld CENVAT credit claimed by Ascendas IT Park (Chennai) Ltd. on specified input services, while deciding an appeal filed by...

Dupattas Made Of Woven Fabric Exempt From Tax As Fibres Under TNVAT Act: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court on 7 October held that dupattas made of woven fabric fall under the exemption for textile fabrics under the Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax (TNVAT) Act, 2006, and cannot be classified as fibres for taxation. A Division Bench comprising Justices Anita Sumanth and K. Rajasekar allowed three tax case revisions filed by Vedant Fashions Pvt. Ltd., and set aside the 4% tax levy on dupattas for the assessment years 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12. The judges held: “A dupatta cannot, by...