The winner of Asia IP’s 2024 India IP Awards National IP Firm of the Year is Anand and Anand. The firm is one of the oldest and largest full-service IP law firms in India, and is known for taking on almost any complex intellectual property challenge. The firm is led by managing partner Pravin Anand, who was the recipient of the International Trademark Association’s (INTA) prestigious 2021 President’s Award. It has recently launched a digital group and expanded its media and entertainment practice with innovative cases such as protecting the personality rights of Amitabh Bachchan and checking intermediaries. The firm, which has offices in New Delhi, Noida, Chennai and Mumbai, can trace its history to 1923, as part of a pioneering parent firm that had branches in Lahore, Calcutta, Delhi and Amristar; when India’s economy was liberalized in the early 1990s, the firm was ready to take on the challenge of a modern world and has been winning awards – and working for some of the world’s leading companies and institutions – ever since, making it a clear winner in this category. 

Runners-up in the National IP Firm of the Year category, in alphabetical order, are K&S Partners and Remfry & Sagar, two firms that challenge Anand and Anand for the top spot in most intellectual property rankings. 

Ashwathh Legal is led by managing partner Prabhu Tandon, a noted litigator associated with an extensive array of civil, commercial and criminal litigation in India. Over the past many years, Tandon has been associated with some of the leading IP cases in India and has also been actively involved in high-stakes trademark- and copyright-related litigation in the Delhi High Court. The firm today counts some of the best Indian companies, as well as multinational companies, among its clients apart, and frequently advises startups on IP matters. It continues to grow strategically by adding new practice areas such as media and entertainment (especially around content protection and anti-piracy) and data privacy and protection, among others. It successfully advised Zee Entertainment Enterprises in a matter in which its sound recordings and underlying works were used by another company despite the expiration of a license agreement between the parties. 

Ira Law was established in July 2018 by former Anand and Anand senior partner Binny Kalra and four other lawyers, all of whom were previously lawyers at Anand and Anand: Abhilasha Nautiyal, Aditya Gupta, Kruttika Vijay and Raunaq Kamath. The firm has recently moved to new offices to match its 25 percent growth; much of the growth has resulted in a strengthened patent practice. The firm handles a portfolio of more than 1,500 trademarks for domestic and international clients in industries including aviation, hospitality, food and beverages, consumer durables, healthcare and agriculture equipment. In the past year, more than 300 oppositions filed by the firm were successfully disposed of in favour of the firm’s clients. The firm takes its name from the goddess of wisdom, speech and learning, ईरा in Sanskrit. 

Anand and Anand has a history of successful efforts in the IP enforcement trade. The firm is noted for its advice in both civil and criminal proceedings, its ability to stem to flow of counterfeits and its ability to recover meaningful damages. It has a highly effective customs team, as well. The firm works for a collection of the world’s best companies, including those in apparel, electronics and consumer goods, automotive, IT and software and pharmaceutical goods. Partner Saif Khan heads the enforcement practice.  

New Delhi-based Inttl Advocare is a full-service IP firm established in 1991 by noted litigator Hemant Singh. The firm’s clientele includes leading brands in foods and beverages, liquor, garments, cosmetics, FMCG, computer software, pharmaceuticals and other sectors. The firm has advised a represented a client for an infringement of trademark and passing off case filed before the Delhi High Court along with application for grant of interim injunction in a Rs20 million (US$240,000) case. It has also represented a pharmaceuticals company in a writ petition filed before the Bombay High Court challenging an order passed by the Intellectual Property Appellate Board, and represented an author in a suit before the Delhi High Court for enforcement of author’s special rights under the Copyright Act in relation to scientific research papers. 

Based in Gurugram, RNA, Technology and IP Attorneys has an enforcement team made up of specialist IP lawyers, investigators, and other IP professionals. Clients say that the firm is skilled at determining the most appropriate course of action before advising on enforcement strategy. Over the past decade, the firm has handled more than 500 IP infringement and counterfeiting cases in a wide range of industry sectors, from pharmaceuticals to IT and electronics and clothing and FMCG to luxury goods. Firm founder Ranjan Narula says the firm’s success rate, in both preliminary injunction applications and final judgments, is over 90 percent.  

K&S Partners is a leading litigation firm, handling patents and designs, trademarks, copyrights, geographical indications and plant variety matters in courts across the country; it handled nearly 100 trademark litigation cases in the past year. The firm recently defended X, formerly known as Twitter, through its Indian subsidiary Twitter Communications India Pvt. Ltd. (TCIPL) in a matter in which another company claimed it controls the www.twitter.com website. TCIPL filed an application seeking its deletion from the array of defendants, on the ground that it neither operates nor manages the website in question and is therefore neither a necessary nor a proper party to the suit. The court allowed TCIPL’s deletion application at the pre-trial stage. The team is involved in litigation matters in the New Delhi, Bombay, Ahmedabad and Madras High Courts.  

Kolkata-based S. Majumdar & Co. has acted for generic drug makers Natco Pharma and GM Pharma in patent proceedings against AstraZeneca before the Delhi High Court. The patent group is manned with professionals in diverse areas of technology including engineering, telecommunications, software, electronics, chemistry, pharmaceuticals, life sciences. Founding partner S. Majumdar is a well-praised practitioner and an expert in patent matters. Aside from patents, the firm also handles trademarks, industrial designs, copyright and trade secrets and has ventured into domain disputes, licensing, investigations and litigation. The firm has been involved in 53 trademark litigation matters in the past year, and 37 patent litigation matters.  

Anand and Anand is regularly one of the top filers in the country in all aspects of intellectual property, from patents and trademarks to copyrights and geographical indications. The trademarks prosecution, contractual IP and commercial IP practice is led by senior partner Safir Anand. It has filed more than 3,000 new trademark applications across sectors, gaining around 2,000 registrations. Anand and Anand recently secured well-known status for 11 marks belonging to various leading Indian and international companies – all on the same day. These marks that have been entered in the register of well-known marks maintained by the Trade Marks Registry and includes marks for U.S.-based pharma giant Abbott Laboratories, ecommerce platform Nykaa and comfort apparel manufacturer Jockey International. Also on the list are marks belonging to various companies of the Tata Group such as the Tata logo, Vivanta of the Indian Hotels Company, Titan of Titan Company Limited and Tanishq, the Tata-owned jewellery brand. Japanese multinational Bridgestone Corporation also had its Bridgestone mark declared well-known. 

The patent practice group at LexOrbis has more than 120 patent attorneys representing clients from industries including automotive, aerospace, biotechnology, biosimilars, computers, chemical, consumer products, defence equipment, electrical and electronics, information and communication technology, software and mobile apps, media and entertainment, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, seeds and agro-chemical products, food and beverages, fashion, sports, and publishing houses. It filed more than 6,800 domestic patent applications and more than 300 applications for international clients in the past year. The firm’s trademark practice team at LexOrbis has more than 40 attorneys experienced in partnering with brand owners and advising on the entire IP lifecycle from selection to enforcement; it filed more than 900 domestic trademark applications and more than 250 applications for international clients in the past year. 

Based in Gurugram, RNA, Technology and IP Attorneys has its roots in the trademark business, but has since branched out into other forms of intellectual property. Today, it represents several Fortune 500 companies covering diversified goods and services and manages a portfolio of more than 7,000 trademarks. Its prosecution team provides a full range of trademark management services, from searching, strategizing and registration to managing renewals, assignments, licensing and general maintenance. These services cover end to end transactional work from conducting due diligence and IP audits to drafting and negotiating licensing and franchising agreements. On the patents side, its patent group possesses a sound technical background in areas including biotechnology, chemistry, mechanical, electronics, electrical, pharmaceuticals, computer software and renewable energy. 

Krishna & Saurastri is a full-service IP firm that puts a focus on provide top-notch, affordable services to its clients. Partner Anshul Sunil Saurastri is noted for his work on patent, trademark and design application preparation and prosecution, as well as his litigation work. The firm’s other name partner, Sunil Krishna, is particularly noted for his work in trademark prosecution and IP counseling, particularly in the development of IP portfolios, licensing and joint ventures; he now serves the firm in a consultant role. In addition to its headquarters in Mumbai, the firm has offices in Gurugram, Pune, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. 

Jupiter Law Partners is a full-service law firm based in Gurugram. It’s IP team brings over 80 years of combined experience among its partners and the team members. The IP litigation team has successfully secured injunctive relief for its clients in multiple courts in India. The firm works to avoid litigation and thereby helping clients resolve disputes through myriad pre-litigation dispute resolution strategies, reflecting its focus on protecting intellectual property rights in the most cost- and time-efficient manner while safeguarding clients’ IP at all times. The team is also skilled in advising on multi-jurisdictional IP matters in various sectors, demonstrating an understanding of the complexities of the IP laws across jurisdictions. The practice has grown significantly over the past year. 

Full-service ANM Global was established in 2009, and enjoys a pan-India presence with offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai. The firm has practice areas including IP, media and entertainment, sports and gaming law, information technology and litigation. It successfully represented Applause Entertainment in a trademark infringement suit involving allegations of trademark and publicity rights infringement related to the use of the Ismail Building in Mumbai, as depicted in the series Call My Agent: Bollywood. ANM Global’s successful defence in the suit safeguarded their client’s interests and affirmed their lawful use of the Ismail Building in the series. Moreover, the case set a precedent in clarifying the boundaries of trademark and publicity rights within the context of entertainment productions, highlighting the significance of legal expertise in resolving such disputes effectively. Nidhish Mehrotra is the firm’s co-founder and managing partner. 

Gagrats is engaged in regulatory work covering trademark, copyright and patent registrations, assignment and licensing work. The firm has considerable experience in contentious IPR matters, including passing off and infringement work, and has recently represented Indian and European corporates in IPR-related disputes. It boasts of a pool of legal professionals who are products of some of the most eminent academic institutions in the world including Harvard, Cambridge, The London School of Economics and the National Law School of India. Some of these lawyers are qualified as Solicitors in England. The firm has an associate office in New Delhi. 

Ahmedabad-based Y.J. Trivedi & Co is noted for handling complex IP matters locally, nationally and internationally, and boasts a team with members coming from varied backgrounds, including chemistry, engineering, biology and law. The firm also has offices in Mumbai, Delhi and Jaipur. Senior partner Jatin Trivedi has been practicing both as an advocate and as a patent and trademark attorney since 1999. 

IP specialist Parker & Parker was the first ISO 9001:2008 Intellectual Property Law Firm in India, an award the firm attributes to its commitment to achieving professional excellence, reliability, thoroughness, consistency, transparency, fairness, and timeliness in providing services of the highest quality. Managing partner Dinesh Pamar specializes in trademarks, patents and corporate law; senior partner Amee Parmar specializes in trademarks and copyright law.  

Ediplis Counsels is a well-known law firm with an extensive IP practice. With its primary offices in Bangalore and Mumbai, Ediplis is able to provide extensive IP and legal support to clients across the country. Additionally, the firm extends its legal footprint to many other jurisdictions through strategic partnerships. Ediplis has embraced technology to enhance the quality of deliverables by integrating proprietary value-added tools such as portfolio management, deadline support, opposition trackers, competitors watching, etc. into its main array of services. The firm also engages with software and technology partners to create customized software products for in-house use which help with automated intimations of deadlines, and identification of possible oppositions and validations in order to optimize processes. The firm boasts a young and dynamic team of 37 lawyers, associates, technology experts and consultants. The firm’s key team comprises Aditi Verma Thakur, Nishant Kewalramani, Ashima Chalia, Vishal Jain and Achal Sekhar. 

Krishnamurthy & Co, also known as K Law, is a full-service law firm with more than 85 lawyers. Nikhil Krishnamurthy heads the firm’s intellectual property and media and entertainment divisions at K Law; he has considerable experience in IP litigation, prosecution, licensing and enforcement matters and has managed the IP enforcement campaigns of leading luxury and pharmaceutical brands and software companies. He has represented a wide array of clients in the media and entertainment and IT industries, including music publishers, collecting societies, authors and composers, radio stations, film production houses, record labels, actors, performing artists, fashion designers, models, intermediaries, and internet market platforms. 

Chennai-based boutique IP firm Altacit Global has acted for Rane, a manufacturer of amplifiers and other audio processing equipment, before the IPAB, and in oppositions in support of Officer’s Choice, an Indian whisky brand owned by Allied Blenders & Distillers. The firm makes the following IP services available to its diverse roster of clientele: IP protection for patents, design, trademark, copyright, utility models and geographical indications; advisory; litigation, and; development services namely IP valuation, IP searching, registration, training; and due diligence and commercial reporting. Key team members of the firm include Sudhir Ravindran. 

Established in 1896, Fox Mandal possesses an unparalleled legal tradition of being the legal advisor for the East India Company and the successive Governments of the Presidency of Bombay. The firm has offices in India, the UK and Bangladesh with representative offices in important cities in India. It has 400 lawyers including 50 partners in its legal team. The firm has been assisting Samsung Electronics in prosecuting patent applications in India on various technologies such as telecommunication and mobile technologies, and has also been advising Emmvee Photovoltaic Power, a solar solutions producer, in protecting, registering and maintaining its IP portfolio. 

The winner of our 2024 India IP Awards Rising Star Award is MS Law Partners. New Delhi-based MS Law Partners is a patent specialist. Established in 2018, it offers advisory and litigation services to its client base, from startups to multinationals including NFT marketplaces, AI and internet/IoT sectors. The firm’s practice also covers unfair competition, trade secrets, internet/computer software protection and IP transactions. The firm has handled more than 90 patent oppositions in the past year; in more than 60 percent of cases, the represents patentees or patent applicants and assists them in defending patents or patent applications. It also regularly files and prosecutes patent applications in India, including more than 130 in the past year. It has represented clients from the diamond, manufacturing, agriculture and financial sectors in patent litigation. The firm acted for Sahajanand Technology Private, from the diamond processing/mechanical industry, in pre-grant opposition proceedings against its pending patent applications. The firm was able to prove that the application was patentable, with India’s patent office rejecting all grounds of opposition: lack of inventive step, not an invention, lack of disclosure.