TRADE SECRET, CONTRACT AND REVERSE ENGINEERING

(Adopted from the speech 'Intellectual Property Rights in Computer Software' delivered by Justice Yatindra Singh Judge Allahabad High Court on 31st July 2005 at Judges' Round Table Conference on IPR held at Kolkata)

1890 advertisement of Coca cola - the best kept secret  - from Wikipedia

TRADE SECRET AND COMPUTER SOFTWARE

TRADE SECRET/ UNDISCLOSED INFORMATION

Trade secret or undisclosed information is an area of intellectual property required to be protected under TRIPS. Trade Secret, as its name suggests, is a secret.

THE ANXIETY – TO DO RIGHT – REMAINS

Picture - courtesy Wikipedia

(Summary: This paper discusses how a judge may communicate and a judgement may be written.
A pdf format of the article can be downloaded by clicking here.
It was read by Justice Yatindra Singh, Judge, Allahabad High Court at National Judicial Academy, Bhopal in the National Judicial Seminar of the judges of the higher judicial service on Judicial Method on 21.7.2007.)

Themis is goddess of justice; she is generally—though not always―shown blindfolded; she has a pair of scales in one hand and a double edged sword in the other. The blindfold indicates that justice is impartial and is administered without fear or favour. The pair of scales explains that justice is done after weighing the strength of the competing claims. The sword symbolises the power to enforce it.
Our task is to find out the side, where justice lies. In this process, we '

must not spin a coin or consult an astrologer' {Lord Diplock in R.V. Deputy Industrial Injuries Commissioner ex parte Moore (1965) 1QB 450, 488}.

We must do it openly, under public scrutiny and provide reasons. Ours is a difficult job: we take decisions - others procrastinate.
How should our performance be judged? What qualities should we have?

A NEW CHAPTER IN JUDICIARY AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(Text of speech delivered by justice Yatindra Singh on 9.7.2007 on the occasion of inauguration of the Allahabad High Court Website and launching of E-court project)

MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR: Except on a Slightly More Abstract Level

{Text of speech delivered in the Consilience 2006 - a two day event focussing Free/Open Source Software - at NLSUI, Bangalore on 26.7.2006 and in the International symposium 'Owning the Future: Ideas and Their Role in the Digital Age' jointly hosted by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IITD) and Red Hat, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA at New Delhi on 24.08,2006.

Summary: It talks about how software is protected.}

OPEN DOCUMENT FORMAT

The world over, a debate is brewing over open document format (ODF) (see Endnote-1). In order to understand it, we have to consider,

• What is the proprietary format?
• How is the proprietary format protected?
• What is the open standard?
• Why open standards are being advocated over proprietary format?
• What is open document format?

GUIDELINES FOR A WORKSHOP ON GENDER JUSTICE

There may be the following modules or sessions in a workshop/seminar for advancing equal justice for women. These suggestions were made on 16.4.2006 in a conference on the same subject at the NJA Bhopal.

PROTECTION OF SEMICONDUCTOR TOPOGRAPHY

(Speech delivered at the IPR conference held on 4th February 2006 at the National Judicial Academy Bhopal.
Summary: It talks about how designs on semiconductors are protected.)