Asia IP’s editorial team reveals India’s top IP firms, practices 

Intellectual property owners have been overwhelmingly positive about the changes they’ve seen to India’s IP regime over recent years. The country has consistently updated its IP laws and aggressively worked to reduce the time it takes to move an action through its court system. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due some of the credit for pushing through change, India’s battle-worn IP lawyers and law firms have done much of the legwork in making India one of Asia’s – and the world’s – most attractive destinations for foreign investment.  

As protection has increased, investors and rights owners have turned to India’s top intellectual property practices to enforce their rights. It was this dynamic environment in which Asia IP’s editorial team has launched our India IP Awards two years ago, designed to recognize and honour the top IP firms and practices, and it remains this environment in which we debut our 2022 version of the awards.  

In addition to a National IP Firm of the Year, we’ve named category award winners, regional award winners and a national IP Boutique of the Year and an IP Rising Star firm, all of which will be revealed below.  

The decisions which follow were made by the Asia IP editorial teams, based on votes and recommendations received from in-house counsel, senior corporate executives and legal professionals from around the region and around the world, as well as submissions from law firms themselves. 

To determine the winning firms, we carefully evaluated each firm’s most important cases, portfolios and other notable work throughout in the past year, in conjunction with the recommendations and comments we received. 

We were pleasantly surprised by the quantity and quality of recommendations we received from those who know these IP practices the best. It is clear from the submissions we received that corporate counsel are keen observers of the firms doing work for them; they’re not afraid to praise those firms which do the best work – and they told us which firms aren’t deserving, too.  

It is clear, too, that law firms are in a fierce competition with each other to make the case that they are best-situated to serve their clients well. The work firms in India do has improved by leaps and bounds in recent years, and while it once would have been an easy job for us to name the top firms in each practice area, the heightened competition has made it quite challenging now. 

While firms in Delhi and the National Capital Region still command the majority of the intellectual property work in India, firms in other parts of the country are increasingly competitive with each other and with firms in the NCR. Thus, we included regional awards for firms based in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru, with Mumbai included as a nod to its long status as India’s commercial-based counterweight to Delhi. Each of the other regional cities are known for different areas of commerce, each with its own intellectual property rights to protect: Ahmedabad for textiles; Kolkata for being an artistic and cultural capital; Chennai as the “Detroit of India,” home to a third of the country’s automobile manufacturing; and Bengaluru as a technology hub, hosting the headquarters of more than 250 software companies.  

And, finally, let us include a few housekeeping statements. Asia IP’s India IP Awards recognize only domestic Indian law firms; any work done by international firms or firms from other countries was not considered. Detailing the achievements of every single winner in this feature is not possible, so it is important to say that each winning firm in each category carries the same weight and has earned the award equally. Winning firms are presented here by alphabetical order, and not in any other fashion. For each of the regional awards and for the National IP Firm of the Year award, there is a single winner and one or more runners-up, each of which are also presented alphabetically. And finally, Asia IP wishes to congratulate each of our winners! 

-    Gregory Glass 

The winner of Asia IP’s 2022 India IP Awards National IP Firm of the Year is Anand and Anand. The firm is the 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. Clients include Mars, Microsoft, Toyota, Louis Vuitton and Pioneer. Recently, the firm became the first to flag off corporate governance issues in an IP dispute between Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels and Lodha Developers; successfully obtained registration of a moving trademark for a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer and of a shape mark for an American biopharma company; instrumental in registering exclusivity of various Geographical Indications pertaining to textiles; and working with many homegrown unicorns including Nykaa, Flipkart, Hike, Pine Labs and Freshworks. 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 which challenge Anand and Anand for the top spot in most intellectual property rankings. 

K&S Partners made its name through prosecution work, and today is one of the country’s top IP firms, with more than 110 IP professionals and 260 staff members working in offices in Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi. The firm continues to handle prosecution work, as well as advisory work (including searches, opinions and analysis), protection work (such as anti-counterfeiting actions, border enforcement and litigation) and transactional work, including due diligence in M&A transactions, licensing and other transactional support. The firm has acted for GAP, Warner Bros., Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions, International Business Machines and The Scotch Whisky Association, among others, for various trademark cases. 

As it approaches its 200th anniversary, Remfry & Sagar has frequently set the benchmark for legal services in the realm of intellectual property. The firm advises more than 8,000 clients, including leading businesses and Fortune 500 companies, as well as start-ups, policy-makers and government enterprises, including the World Trade Centers Association in ongoing enforcement work in which damages to the tune of Rs5 million (US$75,000) have been claimed. The firm traveled to a work site in Nashik, Maharashtra, with local police to remove signage when it was learned that the infringing company was flouting a High Court order to cease using the marks. A main suit is pending with the High Court of Bombay. The firm’s legal team of 95 professionals and 155 support staff is well-noted for its competency in both IP prosecution and litigation, and a group of corporate law experts is on board to advise on commercial matters. Founded in 1827, the firm has seen most any legal challenge imaginable, says managing partner Ashwin Julka. “Our long innings gives us unrivalled knowledge of how ideas must be protected, and insights into how even the best idea can fall by the wayside if executed incorrectly,” he says.  

The winners of the 2022 India IP Awards IP Boutiques of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Dodd & Co., Ira Law, KRIA Law and Priya Rao & Associates.  

Based in New Delhi, Dodd & Co was founded by Pooja Dodd in 2016. Dodd, formerly a partner with Fox Mandal and LexOrbis, provides intellectual property services to clients in India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The firm provides a range of services including commercialization, cross-border measures, due diligence and audits, enforcement work, conducting extensive market surveys, detailed investigations, filing criminal complaints and civil suits. The team also boasts of substantial experience in the area of anti-counterfeiting of diverse products ranging from high-end luxury goods to FMCG goods.  

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, which is based in New Delhi, is non-hierarchical; each lawyer lists his or her position as “attorney at law.” The firm focuses on intellectual property laws, litigation and dispute resolution, insolvency and winding up, transactional advice, competition law, consumer protection laws, data privacy and protection, and media and advertising. It represented Google in a Google Ads litigation and a trademark proprietor in relation to infringement of a certification trademark relating to barcode numbers. The firm also defended Vistara (Tata SIA) in a trademark litigation for an alleged mark ‘Fly Higher’. 

Established in March 2021 in Chennai, KRIA Law prides itself as being a fully digital firm with cloud-based internal and external interactions and transactions and top-of-the-line software for IPR portfolio management, among others. Its practice areas include IP and information technology, litigation & dispute resolution, commercial, taxation, competition and anti-trust and general civil disputes. MS Bharath, a seasoned litigator, strategist and counsellor in the field of IP and the firm’s founder, is another former Anand and Anand lawyer who is seeing success on his own. Kria Law was named Rising Star at the 2021 Asia IP India Awards. 

Priya Rao and Associates focuses on copyright, patents, trademarks, geographical indications, industrial designs, litigation and information technology laws. The firm’s partners firm have decades of local and global experience in these fields under their belt as well as in-depth knowledge of markets and enforcement procedures, assuring clients around the world of premium end to end legal solutions to their intellectual property issues. Founder Priya Rao, who has over two decades or experience advising and representing Fortune 500 Companies in India and internationally, is a key contact. 

The winners of our 2022 India IP Awards Enforcement Firms of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Anand and Anand; Inttl Advocare; Rahul Chaudhry & Partners; RNA, Technology and IP Attorneys; and Y.J. Trivedi & Co. 

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.  

New Delhi-based Inttl Advocare is a full-service IP firm which was 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; it has undertaken civil and criminal enforcement actions including seizure of infringing and counterfeit goods and seeking compensatory and punitive damages, working with Customs authorities under border control measures to prevent infringing and unlawful import and export, conducting investigations and conducting proceedings against cybersquatters. Senior partner Preetika Singh brings three decades of experience to the firm and receives high praise from clients for her work, which includes oppositions, rectification, litigation and dispute resolution. 

Rahul Chaudhry & Partners is a full-service law firm formed 35 years ago in Delhi as Lall Lahiri & Salhotra. Led today by the charismatic Rahul Chaudhry, the firm’s 70 lawyers, 10 partners and a support staff of more than 110 takes a business-centric approach to its work. The firm has a strong litigation team which practices in front of the country’s court and administrative agencies whenever necessary, and handles related enforcement matters such as conducting field investigations and issuing cease and desist notices. The firm counts MNCs, private companies, conglomerates, government organizations, public sector undertakings and non-profit organizations among its clients. 

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%.  

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

The winners of our 2022 India IP Awards IP Litigation Firms of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Anand and Anand, K&S Partners, Lall & Sethi, Remfry & Sagar and Singh & Singh. 

If there’s a high-profile intellectual property case in India, there’s a good chance that there’s an Anand and Anand lawyer involved. Pravin Anand is an acclaimed litigator who has a bookcase full of landmark cases of his own, including the Ferid Allani case, which paved the way for software patenting in India; the Christian Louboutin case, which protected the “red sole” as a single-colour trademark; and Philips v. Bhagirathi, India’s first standard essential patent case, which recognized principles like FRAND and granting damages to the plaintiff. Litigation partner Vaishali Mittal is widely known for her own high-profile battles in the SEP realm, as well as many other important Indian patent cases. 

K&S Partners may have made its name through prosecution work, but today the firm is also a leading litigation firm, handling patents and designs, trademarks, copyrights, geographical indications and plant variety matters in courts across the country, including complex IP ligitation and all aspects of contentious matters, including oppositions, invalidations and revocations. The team is involved in litigation matters in the New Delhi, Bombay, Ahmedabad and Madras High Courts.  

The litigation team at Lall & Sethi is well-regarded in the region, where it particularly excels in the life sciences sector. The firm is also noted for its work in technology, media and entertainment. Tia Malik is the firm’s managing partner; she is known for her expertise in tech, media, fashion and pharma, among others. Anju Khanna leads the firm’s patent litigation efforts, while Nancy Roy is a litigation partner at the firm; Roy appears frequently before courts all over India, including the country’s high courts and supreme court. Lall & Sethi’s IP management software was developed in-house.  

Remfry & Sagar boasts separate IP litigation and patent litigation teams. Its patent litigation team has pioneered patent litigation in India’s post-TRIPS regime, advising, and acting on behalf of, leading international pharmaceutical companies on seminal matters, including Section 3(d) of the Patents Act and the issue of compulsory licensing. It has also been heavily involved in telecom disputes involving FRAND licensing agreements in standard essential patents. Its IP litigation team has expertise in trademarks, copyright, designs, GIs and domain names. The firm is known for a business-friendly focus on managing exposure to risk and providing solutions to complex litigation. 

Singh & Singh has long been known as one of India’s leading IP litigation firms. The firm recently advised Dish TV in a case in which the Delhi Hight Court restrained Prasar Bharti from infringing the trademark of Dish TV by adopting the mark “DD Free Dish” or any other mark incorporating the word “Dish” for its direct-to-home TV service. Partner Bitika Sharma is frequently called upon to handle complex patent litigation in the biotech, pharma and chemicals sector; partner Sudeep Chaterjee handles high-profile infringement matters relating to copyright and trademarks and domain-related issues, including filing of UDRP complaints; he was named Counsel of the Year for IPR ligitation at the Indian National Bar Association’s Annual International Conference in 2021.  

The winners of the 2022 India IP Awards IP Prosecution Firms of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Anand and Anand, Lall & Sethi, LexOrbis, Rahul Chaudhry & Partners and Remfry & Sagar. 

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, who also maintains a very busy practice of his own, advising clients from a multitude of industries on strategy, business models, marketing, commercial insights. Senior partner Archana Shanker heads the firm’s patents and designs practice, where she is noted for her excellent work in complex patent prosecution and is credited with advising the government on much of the country’s existing patent law. 

Lall & Sethi focuses on trademarks, copyrights, designs, patents, confidential information and trade secrets, entertainment and sports laws and information technology laws. The firm prides itself on having a top-notch IT system; its IP Management Software, developed in-house, ensures that timely responses are sent and deadlines are strictly adhered to. The patent professionals of the firm have wide-ranging experience in drafting applications of various technologies and liaising with inventors, technical experts and in-house patent counsels in the preparation of specifications; they also help clients devise cross-jurisdictional patent strategies. The firm was founded in 1994 by Chander Lall and Sandeep Sethi, both of whom have been elevated to senior advocates.  

LexOrbis, based in New Delhi and with offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru, is led by the dynamic Manisha Singh and offers strong filing and prosecution skills across practice areas. The firm is noted for its work in developing the brand images that go along with trademarks, and for its work identifying names and slogans that are truly unique – and which clients will be able to clear and, ultimately, register, both as trademarks and as domain names. The firm also has a strong record addressing cybersquatters. 

Rahul Chaudhry & Partners is led by Rahul Chaudhry; the firm’s 70 lawyers, 10 partners and a support staff of more than 110 takes a business-centric approach to its work. The firm, which is also noted for its work in IP transactions, is trusted for its filing and prosecution work. It counts MNCs, private companies, conglomerates, government organizations, public sector undertakings and non-profit organizations among its clients. 

IP powerhouse Remfry & Sagar is a go-to firm for multinationals in India. The firm handles the full spectrum of prosecution of intellectual property, taking into account local regulations, long-term enforceability criteria and the commercial objectives of its clients. Remfry & Sagar is noted for its proficiency in search procedures and opposition and cancellation proceedings, handling registration formalities, and ensuring post-registration maintenance, including renewal and restoration of trademarks. The firm boasts a large team of attorneys, trademark agents, paralegals and legal assistants who can help with portfolio creation and management, and in filing and prosecuting before the trademark office; on the patent side, the firm is proficient in filing and validating rights, with a team dedicated to docketing instructions and timelines, and ensuring compliance with all procedural formalities. 

The winners of our 2022 India IP Awards Licensing & Franchising Firms of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Anand and Anand, Fox Mandal, Krishna & Saurastri; S&A Law Offices and Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. 

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. 

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. 

S&A Law Offices is led by managing partner Daizy Chawla. The firm’s patent team is noted for its advice on licensing and assignment of rights and has advised on exceptions to compulsory licensing provisions. The firm has offices in New Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru and Mumbai, which are home to more than 300 professionals, from seasoned advocates, chartered accountants, patent agents, trademark agents, pharma experts and support professionals. 

Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. is based in New Delhi. The personable Dev Robinson is the national practice head of the firm’s IP practice, in which he advises on a host of IP matters involving trademarks, trade dress, names, goodwill, copyright, designs and transactions involving commercial exploitation of intellectual property. Robinson’s clients include Honeywell, Texas Instruments, Motorola, Sony and Ericsson. The firm has vast experience in the prosecution of patent and trademark applications before the patent offices and trademarks’ registry across all facets of technology and business, representing overseas and Indian clients in all four patent offices (Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai) and five trademarks registries (Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai) in India.  

The winners of our 2022 India IP Awards Pharma, Biotech & Life Sciences Firms of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Anand and Anand, Inttl Advocare, LexOrbis, SKS Law Associates and Y.J. Trivedi & Co. 

Based in the National Capital Region, SKS Law Associates is highly-focused on life sciences work, employing multiple lawyers with advanced degrees in chemistry, plant sciences, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, phytotherapeutics, agrichemicals, and plant breeding and crop genetics. The firm is led by Sunita K. Sreedharan, who herself has a Master’s degree in cytogenetics and is a prolific writer and speaker known for her ability to cast a discerning eye upon unique problems in the IP sector. She has been empaneled as legal counsel for the Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers’ Rights Authority in India’s Ministry of Agriculture and was legal advisor on the Central Technology Management Institute at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The firm has offices in New Delhi and Haryana. 

The winners of our 2022 India IP Awards Technology, Media & Telecoms Firms of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Anand and Anand; Inttl Advocare; Ira Law; Lall & Sethi and RNA, Technology and IP Attorneys. 

The winner of our 2022 India IP Awards New Delhi and NCR Firm of the Year is Lall & Sethi. The runners-up, in alphabetical order, are Rahul Chaudhry & Partners and RNA, Technology and IP Attorneys. 

The winner of our 2022 India IP Awards Mumbai Firm of the Year is Krishna & Saurastri. The runners-up, in alphabetical order, are Khaitan & Co and R.K. Dewan & Co. 

Mumbai-based Khaitan & Co., a top-rated full-service law firm, boasts a strong IP practice, one of the largest such practices among India’s full-service firms. The firm works with clients from a a range of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, chemicals, mechanical engineering, technology and retail. With more than 15 years of experience, partner Shailendra Bhandare is noted for his work on prosecutions, enforcements, contentious matters, management and transactional work. The firm has recently worked for Amazon on trademark matters, including advising on prosecution and registration matters and portfolio management. 

IP specialist R.K. Dewan & Co handles both contentious and non-contentious work. The firm is one of the largest filers of domestic Indian patent applications. Principal Mohan Dewan has more than 40 years of IP experience. The firm represents more than 4,000 clients of all sizes and most fields, including software, automobiles, heavy engineering, chemical engineering, defense equipment, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, nanotechnology and food packaging technology.  

The winner of our 2022 India IP Awards Ahmedabad Firm of the Year is Y.J. Trivedi & Co. The runners-up, in alphabetical order, are H.K. Acharya & Company and Parker & Parker. 

H.K. Acharya & Company was established in 1977 in Ahmedabad, and is one of the region’s most visible firms. Led today by the personable Rajeshkumar Acharya, the firm has a reputation for quality work. Acharya holds an M.S. in chemistry and a doctorate in pharmaceutical chemistry, and is registered to practice before the Indian and Canadian patent and trademark offices. Harsha R. Acharya is the firm’s managing partner; she brings an in-depth understanding of business strategies. 

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.  

The winner of our 2022 India IP Awards Bengaluru Firm of the Year is Krishnamurthy & Co (K Law). The runners-up, in alphabetical order, are BananaIP and IPRinn. 

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. He was involved in litigation of India’s first compulsory license for music broadcast. 

BananaIP traces its roots to 2003, when Kalyan Kankanala, a Ph.D. student at the National Law School of India, first conceived of starting an IP firm made up of lawyers with equally strong technology, law and business backgrounds. Kankanala joined forces with Arun Narasani, his childhood friend, and formed Brain League in 2004. The firm has experienced steady growth ever since, and today provides a full-range of IP services across most sectors. The name BananaIP has become an integral part of the firm’s culture. “We assist creators, people who think differently, people who thrive on thinking differently,” says Kankanala. “We are happy to be identified, recognized and remembered as BananaIP Counsels.”  

IPRinn provides end-to-end IP services to its clients, including value-added services such as trademark searches, legal opinions, advice about potential conflicting marks, comprehensive search reports and response to office actions along with matters relating to intellectual property laws. Gimmi Joseph K is founder of the firm. Pallabi Kalita is a partner at the firm. The firm describes its lawyers as “something more than lawyers – we are researchers, technocrats and specialized subject matter experts.” 

The winner of our 2022 India IP Awards Chennai Firm of the Year is Kria Law. The runners-up, in alphabetical order, are Selvam & Selvam and Rights & Marks. 

Raja Selvam started Selvam & Selvam in 2007 as a boutique IP firm. With over nine years of experience, he focuses his practice on all aspects related to trademark and domain disputes including prosecution, litigation, IP transactions like licensing and transfers, IP audits and due diligence, and brand acquisition and market entry. The firm was recently involved in the consolidation of the trademark portfolio of an Indian FMCG Fortune 500 Company subsequent to their de-merger. The firm counts 24 Hour Fitness, Workday, Cartier, Fromageries Bel, Crabtree & Evelyn and Xerox among its clientele. 

Rights & Marks boasts a team of tenacious professionals with both technical and market-based experience who come highly recommended for their work against counterfeiting operations. The firm offers end-to-end solutions, including advanced physical security technologies and supply chain track and trace services. Balajanaki Srinivasan founded the firm in 2001; today, from Chennai, she leads a team of 45 full-time trademark attorneys, lawyers, patent analysts, experts and support staff spread across offices in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Madurai. 

The winner of our 2022 India IP Awards Kolkata Firm of the Year is S. Majumdar & Co. The runners-up, in alphabetical order, are Fox Mandal and L.S. Davar & Co. 

S. Majumdar & Co. is a full-service intellectual property firm with expertise in diverse areas of technology, including engineering, telecommunications, software, electronics, chemistry, pharmaceuticals and life sciences. The firm handles most IP matters, and is involved in IPR awareness programmes organized by the Government of India, IITs and other technical institutions. The firm is led by Subhatosh Majumdar, who has more 30 years of experience as an practitioner and is an acclaimed litigator in all areas of IP law. He also leads the firm’s patent contentious team, handling matters in biochemistry, electronics and others. 

Founded and headquartered in Kolkata, L.S. Davar & Co. is a full-service intellectual property law firm founded in1932; it operates today as one of the oldest IP law firms in India, led by chairman and patent lawyer G.S. Davar, managing partner Joshita Davar Khemani and principal group director Sourabh Khemani. The firm protects and enforces portfolios for a wide variety of clients, including Fortune 500 companies across many sectors, and the Indian government and government entities. The firm boasts an average client retention rate of more than 30 years.  

IPR-focused boutique law firm Ashwathh Legal started operations during the height of the pandemic in December 2020. With seasoned lawyers, each having experience of over 10-15 years, the firm brings a wealth of proven expertise around IPR laws both on the prosecution as well as litigation fronts for trademarks, copyright, designs, patents, customs IP investigation & enforcement, litigation & dispute resolution. The firm today counts some of the best Indian companies as well as multinational companies among their clients apart from advising startups. It continues to grow strategically by adding new practice areas such as data privacy and protection, media & entertainment especially around content protection and anti-piracy, among others. In the first year alone, the firm has initiated over 20 different civil/commercial suits before the Delhi District Courts and the Delhi High Court. IP stalwart Prabhu Tandon worked with many of India’s best-known IP practices before founding Ashwathh Legal.