India: Dodd-Frank, Consumer Protection Act

On June 01, 2026, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued a significant order against Physicswallah Limited (hereinafter referred to as Party), the EdTech unicorn behind the pw.live platform, finding it guilty of deploying three distinct dark patterns. The matter taken up suo moto by CCPA culminated in a penalty of INR 5,00,000 and a binding direction to eliminate all dark patterns from the platform immediately.

Dark patterns fall through the cracks of consumer protection law, where enforcement stays weak and penalties trivial. This article argues that when a dominant enterprise deploys such patterns, Section 4 of the Competition Act, 2002 applies concurrently, not as an alternative, giving CCI a stronger deterrent role alongside sectoral regulators.

On 15 June 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued, inter alia, the Reserve Bank of India (Non-Banking Financial Companies – Responsible Business Conduct) (Second Amendment) Directions, 2026, introducing a comprehensive new chapter governing how non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) (including housing finance companies (HFCs)) advertise, market, and sell their own and third-party financial products and services, as set out under the Reserve Bank of India Directions, 2025.

Do you remember the moment of buying your last physical book or a vinyl record or a video game cartridge? Had you entered a store and exchanged money for the item which you got home and the object belonged to you.

Over the past three decades, the Indian banking and financial sector has undergone significant transformation in its consumer grievance redressal framework. The Banking Ombudsman mechanism has evolved from a limited administrative system addressing basic service complaints into a centralised, technology-driven, quasi-judicial mechanism. These changes reflect the evolving regulatory philosophy of the Reserve Bank of India (“RBI”), shaped by economic liberalisation, expansion of financial markets, and rapid technological advancement.

The advent of digital advertising has brought trademark law into direct conflict with online market practices, particularly keyword bidding. The use of competitors’ trademarks by businesses to promote their own goods and services, albeit as invisible keywords, has often been debated as “infringement”, thereby causing unfair advantages and consumer confusion.

This article examines the recent judgement of the Hon'ble Kerala High Court in the case of Actor Mohanlal Vishwanath vs. State of Kerala and Anr.

This article examines the order of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), Bihar, imposing a monetary penalty on M/s Alphabet Infra Pvt. Ltd.

Geographical Indications (GIs) represent one of the most culturally significant and economically valuable forms of intellectual property.