The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on Sunday, 13 September 2026, issued a public notice prohibiting any person, business entity, digital platform, trademark or patent agent, or legal practitioner from displaying, reproducing, adapting, or using the official logo of the Indian Patent Office (IPO) without prior written approval from the competent authority. The directive was issued by the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM), which functions under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

What Prompted the Notice

According to the CGPDTM, it had come to the authority's attention that individuals, agencies, corporate bodies, online legal-tech platforms, and unauthorised service providers had been displaying the official logo, emblem, and design of the IPO on websites, social media accounts, promotional material, stationery, and paid digital advertisements. The office stated that such use creates a false or misleading impression of government endorsement, affiliation, or recognition, potentially deceiving applicants, stakeholders, and the general public.

Scope of the Prohibition

The notice makes clear that use of the official IPO logo, trade dress, or DPIIT insignia — whether in print, digital media, social media, or sponsored search advertisements — requires prior formal, written approval from the competent authority within the CGPDTM or DPIIT. Entities and individuals currently displaying the logo or deceptively similar designs on websites, promotional banners, visiting cards, portals, or application interfaces have been directed to remove such material immediately.

Legal Consequences of Non-Compliance

The CGPDTM warned that continued unauthorised use, misrepresentation, or imitation of the official IPO logo could constitute an offence under multiple statutes, including 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 could invite civil and criminal prosecution, administrative sanctions, and referral to law enforcement authorities without further notice, the department cautioned.

Advisory for Startups, MSMEs and the Public

In a separate advisory within the same notice, the CGPDTM urged the general public, startups, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to verify the credentials of any entity offering intellectual property registration services. The department advised stakeholders to rely exclusively on the official IPO portal — www.ipindia.gov.in — for statutory filings, updates, and official communications. This comes amid a broader concern that unregulated intermediaries operating under the guise of official authority have misled IP applicants, particularly first-time filers from the startup and MSME ecosystem.

Broader Context

The crackdown is part of a wider effort by the DPIIT to protect the integrity of India's intellectual property administration infrastructure. India has significantly expanded its IPO capacity in recent years, reducing patent examination timelines and launching outreach programmes for innovators. The misuse of official branding by third-party service providers undermines those gains by eroding public trust. This is not the first such advisory — the CGPDTM has periodically cautioned against unauthorised intermediaries — but the explicit invocation of four separate legal statutes signals a more enforcement-oriented posture going forward.