Stassen Exports Ltd. vs. Registrar of Patents & Trademarks and Others – SC APPEAL NO. 136/11-2023

In the case between Stassen Exports Ltd. (Appellant) and Kithsiri Jayasinghe (Registrar of Patents & Trademarks), M.S. Hebtulabhoy & Co Ltd, the Director General of Intellectual Property of Sri Lanka National Intellectual Property Office, and partners associated with Ahamed Saleh Baeshan and Company (Respondents), the court addressed whether the Registrar of Patents and Trademarks breached principles of natural justice by failing to communicate extensions of time granted for filing Notices of Opposition in trademark proceedings. It was held that the Registrar acted within the legal discretion provided under the relevant Intellectual Property Act and was not statutorily required to notify the Appellant of time extensions. The court determined that the responsibility for vigilance rested wit