Novartis trademark-sale ruling clarifies boundaries of Indian IP transfers
By Freny Patel ( November 4, 2026, 07:09 GMT | Insight) -- Novartis’s sale of Indian pharmaceutical trademarks was an outright transfer despite territorial and contractual restrictions, a Mumbai tax tribunal ruled. The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal rejected the royalty treatment of the 4.33 billion rupees ($46.06 million) in proceeds, clarifying the distinction between ownership transfers and trademark licensing arrangements.Novartis’s sale of Indian pharmaceutical trademarks was an outright transfer despite its retention of overseas rights and contractual restrictions protecting its wider brands, a Mumbai tax tribunal has ruled, rejecting the treatment of 4.33 billion rupees ($46.06 million) in proceeds as royalties....
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