Costs of defence of prosecution.51. In any prosecution under this Act, the court may order such costs to be paid by the accused to the complainant, or by the complainant to the accused, as the court deemed reasonable having regard to all the circumstances of the case and the conduct of the parties and the costs so awarded shall be recoverable as if they were a fine.
Limitation of prosecution.52. No prosecution for an offence under this Act shall be commenced after the expiration of three years next after the commission of the offence charged or two years after the discovery thereof by the prosecutor, whichever expiration first happens.
Information as to commission of offence.53. An officer of the Government whose duty it is to take part in the enforcement of the provisions of this Chapter shall not be compelled in any court to say whence he got any information as to the commission of any offence against this Act.
Punishment for abetement in India of acts done out of India.54. If any person, being within India, abets the commission, without India, of any act which, if committed in India, would, under this Act, be an offence, he may be tried for such abetment in any place in India in which he may be found, and be punished therefor with the punishment to which he would be liable if he had himself committed in that place the act which he abetted.
CHAPTER IX
Miscellaneous
Protection of action taken in good faith.55. No suit or other legal proceedings shall lie against any person in respect of anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done in pursuance of this Act.
Certain details to be public servants.56. Every person appointed under this Act shall be deemed to be a public servant within the meaning of section 21 of the Indian Penal Code.
Stay of proceedings where the validity of registration for the geographical indication is questioned, etc.57. (1) Where in any suit for infringement of a geographical indication the defendant pleads that registration of the geographical indication relating to plaintiff is invalid, the court trying the suit (hereinafter referred to as the court), shall,—
(a) if any proceedings for rectification of the register to the geographical indication relating to plaintiff or defendant are pending before the Registrar or the Appellate Board, stay the suit pending the final disposal of such proceedings; (b) if no such proceedings are pending and the court is satisfied that the plea regarding the invalidity of the registration of the geographical indication relating to plaintiff or defendant is prima facie tenable, raise an issue regarding the same and adjourn the case for a period of three months from the date of the framing of the issue in order to enable the party concerned to apply to the Appellate Board for rectification of the register.
(2) If the party concerned proves to the court that he has made any such application as is referred to in clause (b) of sub-section (1) within the time specified therein or within such extended time as the court may for sufficient cause allow, the trial of the suit shall stand stayed until the final disposal of the rectification proceedings.
(3) If no such application as aforesaid has been made within the time so specified or within such extended time as the court may allow, the issue as to the validity of the registration of the geographical indication concerned shall be deemed to have been abandoned and the court shall proceed with the suit in regard to the other issues in the case.
(4) The final order made in any rectification proceedings referred to in sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) shall be binding upon the parties and the court shall dispose of the suit conformably to such order in so far as it relates to the issue as to the validity of the registration of the geographical indication.
