Asia-Pacific

Shrabani Rout of Remfry & Sagar explores how Indian courts are navigating online defamation, including hyperlink republication and platform liability, as the ANI v Wikipedia case awaits a Supreme Court ruling

India has taken a significant step towards simplifying its corporate consolidation framework with the codification of fast-track mergers under the Companies Act, 2013. Governed by Section 233 and read with Rules 25 and 25A of the Companies (Compromises, Arrangements and Amalgamations) Rules, 2016 (as amended), this mechanism enables a select category of companies to bypass the otherwise lengthy and complex National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) process. In parallel, Section 234 of the Companies Act, 2013 facilitates cross-border mergers involving Indian and foreign companies, subject to regulatory approvals—most notably from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). With recent regulatory reforms, India is positioning itself as a favourable jurisdiction for inbound mergers, including the increasingly relevant concept of reverse flipping—the relocation of company domiciles from foreign countries back to India.

While Indonesia’s first-to-file principle creates an opportunity for trademark squatting, Robbaita Zahra and Wongrat Ratanaprayul of Tilleke & Gibbins say Bitmain’s successful cancellation actions indicate the legal system’s ability to address unfair practices

Min Son of Hanol IP & Law explains how a Patent Act revision empowers South Korean patentees to take direct action against export-based infringement, enhancing enforcement and aligning the law with other intellectual property regimes

Early adaptation to manage an unpredictable transition is vital, say Linh Duy Mai, Giang Hoang Bach, and Diep Thi Bich Le of T&G Law Firm LLC (TGVN), the local associate of Tilleke & Gibbins

Tony Tung-Yang Chang of Saint Island International Patent & Law Offices says plant variety holders will have welcomed the ruling, which resolves previous divergence in local courts over the methodology for assessing infringement