Mysore Palace sat on patent plan that could avert photo shoots

As the controversy over a photo shoot at the Amba Vilas Palace takes twists and turns with each passing day, it has emerged that the Mysore Palace Board didn’t take adequate steps to patent the heritage structure, something which could have helped in preventing such incidents.

In June 2012, the board had applied to the Indian Patent Office in Chennai, seeking patent for photography and replicating the building structure, including exteriors and interiors. The application was sent by snail mail. The authorities at the patent analysis and management system in Chennai promised to visit the premises, seeking access to records. But the visit never happened as the board failed to take follow-up action.

B N Adithya and Navyatha, a couple, had posed for candid moments for their pre-wedding photo shoot inside the Durbar Hall and the kalyana mantapa of the palace in February.

The incident came to light last month when a Hyderabad-based photographer, who shot the photos, made them public. The photos went viral, and the board came under criticism for allowing the photo shoot as no one is allowed to take pictures or record video in the palace.

The idea to patent the palace to prevent people, especially those with commercial interests from using the once royal dwelling of the Wadiyars, was mooted by the deputy director of the palace board, T S Subramanya.

Ironically, he is also in soup as his “look-alike” is captured in one of the frames in the photo shoot. When the board applied for patent, there was no clarity about patenting immovable properties. A recent amendment to the patent law, however, provides for protecting buildings other than monuments. Amba Vilas Palace is not a monument.

Now, the palace board has to start afresh as the patent office has gone paperless and accepts applications online. For the palace board, it would be a long wait again as the patent office has 2,000-odd applications pending. But if the board applies, it can track the status. The patent authorities may also be prompted to act swiftly, citing the previous manual application. 

The Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is the sole authority that looks into patent applications. The office is headquartered at Kolkata, with branches in Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi.

Another photo shoot?

A purported photo shoot of another couple inside the Durbar Hall of the Amba Vilas Palace has surfaced online.

The video and photos of an unidentified couple, supposedly shot by one Adarsh Rao, appeared briefly on a website on Saturday. There is, however, speculation that the photo shoot was created with special effects using available footage of the palace.