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Gulshan Prakash v. State of Haryana (2010) 1 SCC477

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Gulshan Prakash v. State of Haryana (2010) 1 SCC 477||Case Summary  Introduction  In this appeal, the Court has interpreted Article 15(4) of the Fundamental Right. It has been added by the 1st Amendment Act, of 1951. Facts The State of Haryana instructed Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak to conduct entrance examination for MD/MS/PG courses for the Session 2008-2009. The appellant made a representation to the Health Secretary for providing reservation for SC and ST in the Post Graduate courses, Since there was no response from the Health Secretary the Appellant filed a petition in the High Court.  The High Court dismissed the petition of the appellant therefore the appellant approached the Supreme Court by Special Leave Petition under Article 136. Appellant Contentions  MDU, Rohtak has provided 20% reservation for the graduate level courses or undergraduate courses therefore the said University should also provide reservation in for the PG courses.  The Government o

Bharat Glass Tube Limited v. Gopal Glass Works Limited 2008 (37) PTC 1 (SC)

Bharat Glass Tube Limited v. Gopal Glass Works Limited 2008 Case Summary/Interpretation|| Bharat Glass Tube Ltd v Gopal Glass Works Ltd summary


Facts

  1. In a suit filed by the respondent (Gopal Glass Works Ltd), the District Court decreed in his favour and restrained the appellant (Bharat Glass Tube Ltd) from infringing the design registered by the respondent.
  2. Thereafter, the appellant filed an application under S.19 of the Design Act, 2000 before the Controller of Patents & Designs for the cancellation of the registration of the respondent's design on the ground that the design was not new or original and has already been published in India.
  3. The appellant submitted two documents for his contention:-
    1. The German company that manufactured the roller with the design for the respondent had already registered the design in 1992 for the roller.
    2. A document downloaded from the official website of the Patent Office of the United Kingdom shows that the same design was registered in the name of an English company.
  4. Although the Assistant Controller cancelled the registration, the High Court in an appeal by the respondents reversed the cancellation order and dismissed the application of the cancellation. 
  5. Therefore this appeal came here.

Issue

  1. Whether the registered design of the respondent can be cancelled on the grounds stated by the appellant in his application.

Decisions

  1. The two documentary evidence failed to establish the reproduction of this registered design on glass sheets anywhere in the world.
  2. Appeal dismissed with costs of Rs 50000.

Ratio Decidendi

  1. The purpose of the Designs Act is not to protect the reproduction of the registered design which is a matter of copyright but to protect the reproduction of the finished article on which the design is reproduced.
  2. The expression "new or original" mentioned in S.4 of the Design Act means that the design has not been published anywhere in the world or has been made known to the public. It means it is a new invention which has not been reproduced by anyone.
  3. The burden of proof in a cancellation proceeding rests with the complainant.
  4. The appellant only submitted that the German company produced/invented the design for its roller way back in 1992, which had to be used to reproduce the design on the glass, rexine or leather, but they failed to prove its reproduction on the glass sheets by any manufacturer from anywhere in the world.
  5. A foreign registered design can not be the ground for cancellation under S.19(1)(a) of a design registered in India.

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