IPO logo use now needs prior government approval, DPIIT notice says
A DPIIT public notice bars individuals, firms, platforms and IP agents from using the Indian Patent Office logo without prior written approval.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has issued a public notice stating that the official logo of the Indian Patent Office (IPO) cannot be displayed, replicated or used in any medium without prior written approval from the competent authority in the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM) or the DPIIT.
The restriction applies to individuals, business entities, digital platforms, trademark and patent agents, and legal practitioners alike. The notice covers print, digital and social media channels as well as sponsored search advertisements, and extends to the IPO's trade dress and the DPIIT insignia.
The Office of the CGPDTM said it had noticed that various individuals, agencies, corporate bodies, online legal technology platforms and unauthorised service providers were using the official logo, emblem and design of the IPO on their websites, social media accounts, marketing material, stationery and paid digital advertisements.
The logo functions as an official government identifier for the statutory authority under the DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Its unauthorised reproduction or display, the notice said, creates a false and misleading impression of government endorsement, affiliation or recognition, and amounts to defrauding stakeholders, applicants and the public.
Entities and individuals currently displaying the IPO logo or deceptively similar designs on websites, promotional banners, visiting cards, portals or application interfaces have been directed to remove such material.
Continued unauthorised use, misrepresentation or imitation of the logo, the notice said, constitutes an offence under the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950, the Trade Marks Act, 1999, the Copyright Act, 1957 and the Information Technology Act, 2000. Non-compliance will invite immediate civil and criminal prosecution, administrative sanctions and reporting to law enforcement authorities without further notice.
The notice also advised the public, startups and MSMEs to verify the credentials of entities offering intellectual property registration services and to rely only on the official portal, www.ipindia.gov.in, for statutory filings, updates and communications.