2023 India’s Top IP Firms and Practices Revealed

07 November 2023

2023 India’s Top IP Firms and Practices Revealed

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 launched our India IP Awards three years ago, designed to recognize and honour the top IP firms and practices, and it remains this environment in which we debut our 2023 version of the awards.

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

The decisions that 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 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 that 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 actually made it quite challenging.

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 in 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 is also presented alphabetically. And finally, Asia IP wishes to congratulate each of our winners!

- Gregory Glass


 

National Firm of the Year
Anand and Anand
Runners-up
K&S Partners
Remfry & Sagar

The winner of Asia IP’s 2023 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. The firm is in its centenary year, celebrating its 100th anniversary in August. 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.

K&S Partners made its name through prosecution work, and today is one of the country’s top IP firms, with more than 140 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 developed a strong practice focused on specific technology and science disciplines, and is also recognized for the work it does with IP policy and the drafting of legislation. The firm frequently collaborates with the Government of India and key industry chambers to raise awareness about IP through various initiatives.

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. 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.


 

IP Boutiques of the Year
Ashwathh Legal
Ira Law
KRIA Law
Priya Rao & Associates

 

The winners of the 2023 India IP Awards IP Boutiques of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Ashwathh Legal, Ira Law, Kria Law and Priya Rao & Associates.

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. In just its second year of existence, the firm has won important cases for clients including LT Overseas, Ease my trip, Lava International, Nivea India, Godfrey Philips India, and Ambuja Cements. It has been engaged in some 75 different civil and commercial suits before the Delhi High Court, the High Court of Himachal Pradesh, the Bombay High Court and district courts in Delhi. It is currently involved in 30 litigation matters, 25 of which were initiated since last year. Ashwathh Legal was named Rising Star at the 2022 Asia IP India Awards.

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, Lakshmi 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 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.

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. 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. The firm has seen recent growth in its partnership, including senior partner Jacob Kurian, an industry veteran who merged his practice and team into the firm in November 2022, and Komal Kaul a senior IP practitioner, onboarded as a partner in December 2022 to lead the firm’s IP prosecution and IP commercial practice. The firm added a total of six lawyers, including two partners, four associates and four paralegals, to serve 200 new clients and added over 1,000 square feet of office space.

Priya Rao and Associates is a boutique law firm providing tailor-made solutions for matters related to IP and IT, specializing in civil and criminal litigation, trademark prosecution and opposition, and patent, copyright, design, GI, customs and IP strategies. 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 has over two decades of experience advising and representing Fortune 500 Companies in India and internationally. The firm has conducted prior availability searches and prosecuted several IRDI applications. Rao notes that the firm has a 100 percent success rate of getting clients’ applications accepted and registered in India.


 

Practice Area Awards

Enforcement
Anand and Anand
Beruar & Beruar
Inttl Advocare
Rahul Chaudhry & Partners
RNA, Technology and IP Attorneys

 

The winners of our 2023 India IP Awards Enforcement Firms of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Anand and Anand; Beruar & Beruar; Inttl Advocare; Rahul Chaudhry & Partners; and RNA, Technology and IP Attorneys.

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.

Beruar & Beruarcaters to a wide client base, from Fortune 200 companies to start-ups spanning IP-rich industries. Founded by Rahul Beruar, the firm offers legal advice and assists domestic and international clients on contentious and non-contentious issues pertaining to intellectual property laws including trademarks, domain names, copyrights, patents, designs, geographical indications, confidential information & trade secrets, information technology laws, media, entertainment and sports laws as well as general commercial laws. The firm represents clients in trademark litigation cases before the Delhi High Court as well as various district courts, including securing a dynamic injunction in favour of a client last year regarding their trademarks, the firm filed a trademark infringement suit against the defendant operating a news platform under an infringing mark. On the first hearing, it secured an injunction against the defendant, restraining them from using the infringing mark as well as securing removal of their infringing website and social media platforms.

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. 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.

Rahul Chaudhry & Partnersis a full-service law firm formed 35 years ago in Delhi as Lall Lahiri & Salhotra. In the past year, the firm engaged in various IP enforcement activities and initiatives, including filing complaints against infringing domain names, including www.sonycentral.in, www.fairmontinn.in, and www.steelcase.co.in, before the National Internet Exchange of India. The complaints resulted in successful awards, protecting the clients’ trademarks. It also handled customs matters before the Customs Authority in India and South Asian countries. This included filing applications to record the clients’ marks with Indian Customs and collaborating with customs authorities to detain counterfeit product consignments and prevent their importation. The firm also conducted a raid at the premises of two manufacturers in New Delhi, resulting in the seizure of sizeable quantity of counterfeit products and raw materials. The successful outcome of the raid was reported in leading newspapers.

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%.

IP Litigation
Anand and Anand
K&S Partners
Lall & Sethi
Rahul Chaudhry & Partners
Remfry & Sagar

 

The winners of our 2023 India IP Awards IP Litigation Firms of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Anand and Anand, K&S Partners, Lall & Sethi, Rahul Chaudhry & Partners and Remfry & Sagar.

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 is a leading litigation firm, handling patents and designs, trademarks, copyrights, geographical indications and plant variety matters in courts across the country The firm represented one of the defendants in an important case covering social media. It successfully argued the case for its client and got it deleted from the array of parties named as defendants. It has also advised a family trust in a case against one of the largest real estate companies in the country, in which the court initially granted an ex parte ad interim injunction in favour of the plaintiffs. The suit concerning trademark infringement was finally decreed in favour of the plaintiff after the defendant’s agreement to stop its infringing activities vis-à-vis the plaintiff’s registered and well-known marks, which were similar to those of the real estate developer.

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.

Rahul Chaudhry & Partnersis a full-service law firm formed 35 years ago in Delhi as Lall Lahiri & Salhotra. The firm recently represented a wellness products company before the Delhi High Court for trademark infringement and passing off relating to the use of marks and trade dress. The Single Judge ruled in favour of the firm’s client, issuing an injunction due to the deceptive similarity of their marks with the clients’. However, the Single Judge did not find the defendent guilty of passing off its trade dress as those of the plaintiff; both parties have appealed the decision, and the case is now pending adjudication before the Division Bench.

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.

IP Prosecution
Anand and Anand
K&S Partners
LexOrbis
Remfry & Sagar
R.K. Dewan & Co.

 

The winners of the 2023 India IP Awards IP Prosecution Firms of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Anand and Anand, K&S Partners, LexOrbis, Remfry & Sagar and R.K. Dewan & Co.

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. In the past year, the firm has obtained registration of a moving trademark for a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer and registration of a shape mark for an American biopharmaceutical company. It has filed more than 3,000 new trademark applications across sectors, gaining around 2,000 registrations. 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. The firm’s patent prosecution numbers rose 25 percent last year, compared to 8 percent across India.

K&S Partners filed some 785 trademark applications from domestic clients and 239 from foreign clients. It filed more than 800 domestic patent applications and more than 4,500 foreign patent applications in the past year. Among work completed in the past year was the firm’s successful representation of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in the Ministry of Commerce, in which the firm registered Basmati, as in Basmati rice, as a Geographical Indication through September 2030. On the patents side, It handled a case involving inventive step for a client in the renewable energy sector. During the hearing, the Controller raised an additional objection on submitting experimental results. The firm provided detailed arguments explaining that “after exploring all possible ways to determine the desired result, conducting experiments for determining the numerical value is practically not feasible since as the invention pertains to a continuous process and the numerical value depends on a number of parameters and simulating the same to conduct practical experimentation is not feasible”. The convincing arguments persuaded IPO to grant a patent.

The trademark practice team at LexOrbis has more than 30 attorneys experienced in partnering with brand owners and advising on the entire IP lifecycle from selection to enforcement. It manages large and complex trademark portfolios of many global companies, small and medium enterprises and start-ups expanding businesses in India and overseas. The group has expert attorneys in related practice areas such as legal metrology, drugs and cosmetics, food safety, media and entertainment, fashion, sports, ecommerce, data protection, privacy and persona rights, advertisement and consumer protection. It filed nearly 1,000 trademark applications in the past year. The firm’s patent practice group has over 100 patent attorneys who believe in a more inclusive and transparent IP landscape. The firm offers training sessions to innovators for their strategy designing, drafting patent applications, patent prosecution, management, and maintenance of patent portfolio, especially for large patent families, and enforcement of IP rights for all stakeholders. The firm filed more than 6,000 patent applications last year.

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.

R.K. Dewan & Co. has more than 80 years of dedicated service in the IP field. It represents more than 6,000 corporate and individual clients worldwide reflecting top Indian companies, multinationals and Fortune 500 companies across a broad spectrum of industries all technology sectors. Almost 70-75% of R K Dewan’s work is domestic. The firm has a very strong life sciences practice, including prosecution, litigation and commercialization, handling work not only in pharmaceuticals but also in biochemistry and biotechnology, chemical engineering, Ayurvedic medicine and homeopathic medicines, and alternative fuel technologies. It has more than 450 clients in the life science space. In the past year, the firm filed more than 1,500 Indian patent applications, and more than 400 patent applications for Indian clients in more than 40 countries globally. It filed nearly 2,800 trademark applications at the Indian Trademarks Registry in 2022, and experienced a 100% increase in international trademark filings in 2022 to present over the previous year.


 

Specialization Awards

Licensing & Franchising 
Anand and Anand
IndusLaw
Krishna & Saurastri Associates
S. Majumdar & Co.
Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.

 

The winners of our 2023 India IP Awards Licensing & Franchising Firms of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Anand and Anand, IndusLaw, Krishna & Saurastri; S. Majumdar & Co. and Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.

Indus Law has offices in Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. The firm advises on IP protection, advisory, cross-border IP registration, litigation and dispute resolution, anti-counterfeiting actions, transactional IP, commercialization and valuation support. The firm advised and supported Hindustan Unilever in its acquisition of Zywie Ventures as it entered India’s health and well-being market. Zywie Ventures sells plant-based and clean-label consumer wellness products under the name OZiva. The firm assisted in conducting an extensive IP due diligence into the target’s IP assets in India. The team highlighted certain critical issues with respect to the main brand of the target company and advised on ways to overcome the same. It also pointed out the degree of risks associated with the IP assets of the target company. Lastly, the team advised and supported in closing the transaction by providing support in drafting and negotiating of the transaction documents. As a result, the client was able to successfully complete the transaction. The transaction was widely reported in mainstream media. 

Krishna & Saurastriis 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. Majumdar & Co.is a full-service intellectual property firm founded in 1993 and has since established itself as a leading intellectual property firm, with professionals in diverse areas of technology starting from engineering, telecommunications, software, electronics, chemistry, pharmaceuticals and life sciences. During the year, the firm negotiated and closed a know-how licensing agreement, patent assignment agreement, license back agreement and confirmatory license agreement between an Indian inventor who has the  know-how for working a process patent, his company, which owned the process patent, and a joint venture company created with an Indian subsidiary of a German company which acquired the process patent and in-licensed the know-how to work the patent in India. The transaction assumes significance because the inventor’s Indian company retained some rights to work the assigned process patent for a distinct area of application.

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.

Pharma, Biotech & Life Sciences
Anand and Anand
DePenning & DePenning
LexOrbis
SKS Law Associates
Y.J. Trivedi & Co. 

 

The winners of our 2023 India IP Awards Pharma, Biotech & Life Sciences Firms of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Anand and Anand, DePenning & DePenning, LexOrbis, SKS Law Associates and Y.J. Trivedi & Co.

Pharma, biotech & life science domains represents at least 30 percent of the total patent filings at DePenning & DePenning. The prosecution of these inventions is ably handled by an excellent team of patent attorneys combining scientific expertise, legal acumen and client-focused strategies. Some of the representative technology sectors where the firm’s patent filings are focused include pharmaceuticals, medical devices, nanomedicine, specialty chemicals, genomics, personalized medicine, regenerative medicine, environmental and earth sciences, metallurgy, biosciences and bioengineering, agrochemicals, materials and manufacturing, and microbiology to name a few. The firm serves clients who are specialists in a wide range of science and technology. It has undertaken work in end-to-end services covering search, drafting, filing of patent application, prosecution, opposition & appeal, litigation, assignment and agreement, watch and other services to universities, traditional industries and emerging companies specializing in emerging technologies.

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.

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.

Technology, Media & Telecoms
Anand and Anand
Inttl Advocare
Ira Law
Lall & Sethi
RNA, Technology and IP Attorneys

 

The winners of our 2023 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.


 

Regional Awards

New Delhi & NCR Firm of the Year
Lall & Sethi
Runners-up
Rahul Chaudhry & Partners
RNA, Technology and IP Attorneys

 

The winner of our 2023 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

Mumbai Firm of the Year
Krishna & Saurastri
Runners-up
Khaitan & Co
R.K. Dewan & Co

 

The winner of our 2023 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. Key lawyers at the firm include partners Adheesh Nargolkar, Nishad Nadkarni, Smriti Yadav, Shailendra Bhandare, Ankur Sangal, Nirumpam Lodha and Nikhil Ranjan. The firm’s clients include Amazon Technologies, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail, Atos, Beam Suntory, Ecolibrium Energy, Eveready Industries, Novartis, Hindustan Unilever, House of Anita Dongre, TVS Group, Pumas, Qualcomm, Playboy and Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios. Based in Mumbai, the firm also has offices in New Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai and Singapore.

Ahmedabad Firm of the Year
Y.J. Trivedi & Co.
Runners-up
H.K Acharya & Company
Parker & Parker

 

The winner of our 2023 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.

Bengaluru Firm of the Year
Krishnamurthy & Co. (K Law)
Runners-up
Ediplis Counsels
IndusLaw

 

The winner of our 2023 India IP Awards Bengaluru Firm of the Year is Krishnamurthy & Co (K Law). The runners-up, in alphabetical order, are Ediplis Counsels and IndusLaw.

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.

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.

Chennai Firm of the Year
KRIA Law
Runners-up
Kochhar & Co.
Rights & Marks

 

The winner of our 2023 India IP Awards Chennai Firm of the Year is Kria Law. The runners-up, in alphabetical order, are Kochhar & Co.and Rights & Marks.

Chennai-based Savitha Kesav Jagadeesan leads the IP practice at Kochhar & Co, one of India’s leading commercial law firms. The firm has represented footwear maker Bata in sending an infringement notice to the creators of the movie Jolly LLB 2 for using the name of the company and “damaging its reputation.” The firm has also advised Amaraja Batteries, tubing manufacturer Roll-Kraft and Godrej-Boyce. In the past year, the firm, which prides itself on being solution-oriented and mindful of client expenditures, has increased its work with NFTs and artificial intelligence, as well as developing ways to protect alternative technologies.

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.

Kolkata Firm of the Year
S. Majumdar & Co.
Runners-up
Fox Mandal
L.S. Davar & Co.

 

The winner of our 2023 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.

The runners-up, in alphabetical order, are Fox Mandal and L.S. Davar & Co.

Established in 1896, Fox Mandal possesses anunparalleled 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.

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.


 

Rising Star Award
Spice Route Legal

 

The winner of our 2023 India IP Awards Rising Star Award is  Spice Route Legal.

Bengaluru-based Spice Route Legal is a key partner for many technology-intensive companies. The firm is a player in the healthcare and life sciences, TMT and energy, sustainability and mobility sectors. The firm brings a unique approach to legal work, focusing on industries rather than practice areas. It aims, it says, to offer “pragmatic and business-oriented legal solutions” to leading players in those industries. With offices across southern India, from Mumbai and Pune to Bengaluru and Kochi, the firm is comprised of not just intellectual property experts, but also lawyers skilled at M&A, private equity, regulatory work and data protection and cybersecurity. Founding partner Mathew Chacko is a well-known expert in data protection.  


Law firms

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