articles
Valuation of composite goods under VAT laws
17 November 2015
In the case of State of Punjab v. Nokia India Pvt Ltd (2014-VIL-23-SC), the Supreme Court held that battery charger of a cell phone is not a composite part of the cell phone but only an accessory and is an independent product.
International Trade & WTO
Date of expiry of definitive anti-dumping duty
10 November 2015
It is a debatable issue from which date the period of 5 years should be reckoned for determining the date on which imposition of definitive anti-dumping duty would expire, if no sunset review is conducted before such expiry (Article 11.3 of WTO: ADA).
Direct Tax
Month-end Provisions and Reversal – Is TDS called for?
28 October 2015
Multi-national enterprises (MNEs) do make monthly provision for various expenses in their ERP system at the end of each month.
Regulatory Laws
Legitimacy of levy of seigniorage fee on consumers
26 October 2015
This article deals with the validity of the levy of seigniorage fee on the consumer/user and the ambiguity in the calculation of the same.
Skill versus chance - A saga of online gaming
26 October 2015
The current trend of selecting national or international players/athletes based on their performance/skill/fitness and creating one’s own virtual team to compete on a virtual platform is not a novel concept. In fact, this indulgence dates back to the post World War II era.
Intellectual Property Rights
Delhi High Court grants permanent injunction in case of Sitagliptin
23 October 2015
Nearly three years after Merck (patentee) initiated an infringement action over its patented diabetics drug sitagliptin (Indian Patent 209816, sold under the brand names Januvia and Janumet), the Delhi
Does GST continue with distortions of existing tax structure?
16 October 2015
Besides being a source of funding of public expenditure, taxes also enable influencing expenditure patterns thereby distorting individual behavior.
International Trade & WTO
Consistency between Indian Domestic Law and WTO: ADA to be maintained
09 October 2015
Article II of the GATT, 1994 provides that a Member country shall follow MFN principle. Article II.2 provides for exception to the MFN principles.
Direct Tax, Regulatory Laws
Consortium contracts with Government – Legal status
01 October 2015
It is basic economics - when it comes to consumption, government has the largest appetite. Government purchases include goods and services obtained from domestic and international suppliers and deployed in myriad projects ranging from defence and railways to infrastructure and oil.
Intellectual Property Rights
Software inventions - Examining patentability
28 September 2015
The Indian Patent Office recently released the final version of the Guidelines for Examination of Computer Related Inventions.
Plastics – To ban or not to ban, is the question!
21 September 2015
Plastic packaging is big business. The India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) estimated the Indian packaging industry to be at about US$28 billion in 2014, with roughly half the market share belonging to plastic packaging [see end note 1].
The Rule 6 conundrum – Whether ‘Total’ Cenvat credit to be considered for reversal formula?
16 September 2015
An assessee who is a manufacturer of dutiable goods or provider of output service or both invariably receives a number of services on which he pays service tax and is eligible to take credit of the same in terms of Rule 3(1) of Cenvat Credit Rules, 2004.
International Trade & WTO
Enhancing effectiveness of enforcement – Retreading trade remedy law
10 September 2015
As a top merchandise trader, just behind China [see end note1], the USA is a huge import destination and a frequent user of the Anti-dumping instrument, USA is not new to innovations in AD laws and has already been through the Bryd Amendment which sought to distribute the revenue from AD levies amon
Direct Tax
Jurisprudence of international tax law
28 August 2015
Taxation is a subject over which each State exercises its sovereign right. The basic charge of taxation can be traced to the domestic taxation law of a State.
Customs
Refund of excess customs duty paid under self-assessment system
19 August 2015
The Central Excise law provided for physical control for all commodities except a few in the past. However, subsequently self-assessment mechanism was introduced in Central Excise in which the revenue authorities’ role at the time of clearance of goods has become almost nil.
Intellectual Property Rights
‘Make in India’ meets the Biological Diversity Act
17 August 2015
‘Make in India’ is a flagship, nation-wide initiative of the Government of India launched in September 2014.
Corporate Advisory
Letter and Spirit of the Law
13 August 2015
The universal complaint against lawyers is that they have five different and contradictory interpretations of the same sentence, each fully justified. Some of our laws are centuries old and the language is so archaic that the original intent of the then legislature is obfuscated by time and
International Trade & WTO
Transparency and confidentiality in AD investigation proceedings
07 August 2015
Investigation process adopted by the Designated Authority in anti-dumping cases has recently been called into question before the Hon’ble Delhi High Court by the participating exporters.
Regulatory Laws
Engaging Contract Labour: The prerequisites and the pitfalls
03 August 2015
Companies engage contract labour to keep the head count low and for the scalability and flexibility it provides in management of workforce. Though employment of contract labour in India has attracted debates, it has become a significant and growing form of employment,