Tracking IP Court Cases: CNR Numbers, IPD Case Codes and How to Search (2026)
Why a trademark or patent search on IP India will not show you court cases, and how CNR numbers, IPD case codes and party searches help you find every IP case for a brand.
Explainer · IP Case Search
You search a brand on IP India, see a clean record, and assume nothing is wrong. Then you learn the mark is in a rectification case, or the patent is under challenge in a High Court. The registry and the courts keep separate records, so a registry search cannot show litigation. In short, IP case search means searching High Court IP Divisions and eCourts by CNR number, party name or IPD case code, and tools like Claw track IP cases across courts that have a case website, with 30 crore+ judgments to search. This guide explains how each route works.
- Registry is not court: IP India shows registrations, not litigation.
- CNR: a 16 character code that identifies one case for its whole life on eCourts.
- IPD codes: labels like C.O. (COMM.IPD-TM) mark IP matters in the Delhi High Court. Other courts use their own labels.
- Find every case: search by all name variants, in all IP Divisions, on eCourts and in judgments, then track each CNR.
01Registry search vs court search
A registry search tells you what is registered. A court search tells you what is being fought over. These are two different systems, run by two different bodies, and neither one shows the other’s data.
What the registry shows
IP India (the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks) keeps the registers for trademarks, patents, designs and geographical indications. A search there shows the application, its status, the owner and the class or claims. It may show an opposition or a pending rectification request at the Registrar level. It does not follow a case once it reaches a High Court.
What the courts show
Infringement suits, passing off suits, appeals against Registrar orders and challenges to patents are filed in courts. Each court keeps its own records: case number, parties, orders and hearing dates. These live on High Court websites and on the eCourts services, not on IP India.
A clean registry record does not mean a clean litigation record. The two must be searched separately.
Why the gap hurts
Brand owners miss suits filed against them. Buyers in due diligence miss pending appeals. Lawyers miss earlier orders on the same mark. In each case the registry search looked fine, because the problem sat in a court record.
Other IP tracking topics
For patent prior art on the registry side, see our guide to AI patent search tools in India. For what happened to cases after the IPAB was wound up, see tracking transferred IPAB cases.
02CNR numbers for IP cases
A CNR (Case Number Record) is a unique 16 character code that identifies one case for its whole life. It is the most reliable way to follow a case on eCourts, because the case number can change but the CNR does not.
How the CNR is built
The usual structure is a state code (2 letters), a district or bench code (2 characters), a court establishment code (2 characters), a filing sequence number (6 digits) and the year of filing (4 digits). For a full walkthrough, read what a CNR number is.
Where to find the CNR of an IP case
- On the case status page of the High Court or eCourts, once you have found the case by party name.
- On the cause list or order sheet, in some courts.
- On the filing receipt or acknowledgement, if you are the filing party.
What you can do with it
Enter the CNR on the eCourts case status service to see the next hearing date, the stage and the orders passed. Save it for every IP case you follow. It stops mix-ups between cases with similar party names, which is common when one brand owner files many suits against many defendants.
A CNR only helps if you already know the case. To discover cases you do not know about, you need party name search or a tracking tool, covered below.
03IPD case-type codes (Delhi, Madras, Calcutta)
IP Divisions use case-type codes that tell you what kind of IP matter it is. Reading these codes lets you filter a long list of cases down to the IP ones.
Delhi High Court
The Delhi High Court created its Intellectual Property Division in 2021 and notified special nomenclature for IP matters. Examples seen in its case listings are C.O. (COMM.IPD-TM), used for trademark rectification petitions, and C.O. (COMM.IPD-PAT), used for patent matters. The letters after IPD show the subject, such as TM for trademarks and PAT for patents. For a worked example on one code family, see how to find trademark rectification cases in the Delhi IPD.
Madras High Court
The Madras High Court also has an IP Division. It uses its own case-type labels on its own website. Do not assume the Delhi labels will work there. Check the case-type list on the Madras court site.
Calcutta High Court
The Calcutta High Court has an IP Division as well, with its own case-type naming. Again, confirm the labels on the court’s own case-type dropdown before you search.
Same idea, different labels
Each court names IP case types in its own way. The safe method is to open the court’s case status page, look at the case-type list, and pick the IP entries, rather than copying a code from another court.
Why volumes matter
The Delhi High Court publishes monthly counts of IPR and non-IPR cases. See Delhi High Court IPD statistics for how many IP cases are filed and decided, which tells you how large the search space is.
04How to find every IP case for a brand
To find every IP case for a brand, search several places and by several names. No single search is enough.
Step 1: List all the names
Write down the brand name, the company name, old company names, group companies and common misspellings. Parties in IP cases are often listed by trade name in one court and by company name in another.
Step 2: Search the IP Divisions by party name
Use the party name search on the Delhi, Madras and Calcutta High Court sites. Pick the right year range. Note the CNR or case number of every hit.
Step 3: Check eCourts and other courts
IP matters also reach district courts, other High Courts and appellate forums. Search eCourts by party name for the states where the brand operates. Commercial courts hear many IP suits outside the IP Divisions.
Step 4: Search judgments
Decided cases show up as judgments. Search the brand name in judgment text to catch cases where the brand is named in an order but is not a party.
Step 5: Track what you found
Save each CNR and track each case for hearing dates and orders. Repeat the whole search every few months, because new cases are filed all the time.
Limits to know
- Party name search only works if you guess the name the court used.
- Not every court has a case website, so some cases cannot be found online.
- Sealed or confidential matters may not show full details.
05Where Claw fits
Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.
For IP work, two parts matter. First, Claw can track IP cases across courts that have a case website, so you follow the case by number or party and get updates without visiting each court site. Second, its case search covers 30 crore+ judgments across 25 High Courts and the Supreme Court, so you can find decided IP cases that name your brand.
Claw does not replace the IP India registry. For trademark and patent register searches, you still use the registry. Claw is for the court side. It also cannot track a case in a court that has no case website. There is a free plan for individual advocates, and paid plans for teams (details at clawlaw.in).
06Sources and further reading
- IP India (registry searches): ipindia.gov.in
- eCourts Services (case status by CNR): services.ecourts.gov.in
- Delhi High Court: delhihighcourt.nic.in
- Claw: clawlaw.in
Court sites change their layout and labels often. Confirm case-type codes on the court’s own site. Last verified October 2026.
07Frequently asked questions
Can I see IP court cases on IP India?
No. IP India shows registry records such as applications, status and owners. Court cases are kept by the High Courts and eCourts. You must search those separately to find litigation on a mark or patent.
What is a CNR number in an IP case?
A CNR is a unique 16 character code given to a case when it is filed. It stays the same for the life of the case. You can enter it on the eCourts case status service to see hearing dates and orders.
What are IPD case codes?
IPD case codes are case-type labels used by High Court IP Divisions. In the Delhi High Court, for example, C.O. (COMM.IPD-TM) is used for trademark matters and C.O. (COMM.IPD-PAT) for patent matters. Each court has its own labels, so check the court site.
How do I check the status of a trademark case in court?
Find the case on the High Court or eCourts site by party name or case number, note its CNR, and open the case status page. It shows the stage, next hearing date and orders. Registry status on IP India is separate.
How do I find every IP case against a brand?
Search all name variants of the brand and company in each IP Division and on eCourts, then search judgments for the brand name. Save the CNR of each hit and track it. Repeat every few months, as new cases appear.
Does Claw track IP cases?
Yes, Claw tracks IP cases in courts that have a case website, and its case search covers 30 crore+ judgments. It does not cover courts without a case website and does not replace registry searches on IP India.