2024 India’s Top IP Firms and Practices Revealed
21 October 2024
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 2024 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 team, 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 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.
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, Pune 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 in 2027, 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 BOUTIQUE OF THE YEAR |
Ashwathh Legal |
Ira Law |
KRIA Law |
Priya Rao & Associates |
The winners of the 2024 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. 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.
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; he is serving on the International Trademark Association (INTA) Board of Directors for the 2024-2026 term. The firm has successfully earned several rulings in the Madras High Court, including Britannia Industries Limited’s trade dress protection for Good Day Butter Cookies, Godrej’s defense against disparaging advertisements on Goodknight and trademark infringement dispute for Junior Kuppanna, Veda Corporate Advisors, Bharat Matrimony and others. It recently established a dedicated patent department, led by Sachin Maocha, marking a significant milestone in its evolution.
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 says the firm has recently taken over trademark prosecution for Caterpillar Inc. in India and other south Asian countries.
Practice Area Awards |
Enforcement |
Anand and Anand |
Beruar & Beruar |
Inttl Advocare |
Rahul Chaudhry & Partners |
RNA, Technology and IP Attorneys |
The winners of our 2024 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 & Beruar caters 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 and trade secrets, information technology laws, media, entertainment and sports laws as well as general commercial laws. The firm is representing numerous leading software companies, including Hexagon, Bentley Systems and Foundry Visionmongers, managing their enforcement campaigns in India; it has initiated more than 100 litigation or pre-litigation proceedings. It is also actively engaged in online copyright enforcement on behalf of publishing clients, including Bloomsbury India, and has issued more than 100 cease and desist notices against infringers across various web platforms. Additionally, the firm assists Kohler in enforcement of their trademarks and is representing the client in various civil and criminal enforcement proceedings before district courts and the Delhi High Court.
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.
Rahul Chaudhry & Partners is a full-service law firm formed 35 years ago in Delhi and today led by Rahul Chaudhry. In the past year, the firm has handled numerous enforcement actions, including domain name complaints before the National Internet Exchange of India and the WIPO; customs matters before the customs authority in India and south Asian countries, including filing applications to record clients’ marks with Indian customs and collaborating with customs authorities to detain counterfeit product consignments and prevent their importation; and anti-counterfeiting measures, by conducting raids at the premises of third parties resulting in the seizure of sizeable quantity of counterfeit products and raw materials. The firm also conducted training sessions for customs officials aimed to sensitize officials about the clients’ marks and combat the import of counterfeit products.
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.
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The winners of our 2024 India IP Awards IP Litigation Firms of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Anand and Anand, K&S Partners, Remfry & Sagar, S. Majumdar & Co. 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 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.
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.
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.
Singh & Singh was founded by Maninder Singh and Prathiba Singh in 1999, both of whom have been elevated to the position of senior advocate; Maninder Singh is a former Additional Solicitor General of India. The firm was one of the first firms in India involved in enforcing FRAND-encumbered patents related to the telecommunications sector; it currently represents various multinational clients in disputes pertaining to enforcement of standard-essential patents and related competition issues. It also represents various pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies (both innovator and generic) in a large number of patent infringement disputes pending before various High Courts and the Supreme Court, and handles patent litigation pertaining to various sectors such as textiles, chemicals/pesticides, industrial equipment, electronics, automobiles, the mechanical industry, storage units and packaging materials.
Practice Area Awards |
IP Prosecution |
Anand and Anand |
K&S Partners |
LexOrbis |
Remfry & Sagar |
RNA, Technology and IP Attorneys |
The winners of the 2024 India IP Awards IP Prosecution Firms of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Anand and Anand; K&S Partners; LexOrbis; Remfry & Sagar; and RNA, Technology and IP Attorneys.
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.
K&S Partners filed 649 trademark applications from domestic clients and 256 from foreign clients. It filed more than 800 domestic patent applications and more than 4,500 foreign patent applications in the past year. The firm advised APEDA, the Agricultureal and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, on the use of the word basmati. Pursuant to filing of a notice of opposition, an office action was issued informing the applicant that the term basmati is not registrable since it reproduces the protected geographical indication of India for the rice called BASMATI, protected in its country of origin and required them to delete the term Basmati from their mark and from the filing name. In another case, an applicant in Karnataka, ICH Creative Consulting, was using and applied for registration of the mark ICH NEXT, the firm’s client. The firm successfully stopped the applicant through a cease and desist notice.
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.
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.
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.
Specialization Awards |
Licensing & Franchising |
Anand and Anand |
IndusLaw |
Krishna & Saurastri Associates |
Priya Rao & Associates |
S. Majumdar & Co. |
The winners of our 2024 India IP Awards Licensing & Franchising Firms of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Anand and Anand, IndusLaw, Krishna & Saurastri; Priya Rao & Associates and S. Majumdar & 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 & 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.
Specialization Awards |
Pharma, Biotech & Life Sciences |
Anand and Anand |
DePenning & DePenning |
Jupiter Law Partners |
LexOrbis |
SKS Law Associates |
The winners of our 2024 India IP Awards Pharma, Biotech & Life Sciences Firms of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Anand and Anand, DePenning & DePenning, Jupiter Law Partners, LexOrbis and SKS Law Associates.
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 and appeal, litigation, assignment and agreement, watch and other services to universities, traditional industries and emerging companies specializing in emerging technologies.
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.
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.
Specialization Awards |
Technology, Media & Telecoms |
Anand and Anand |
ANM Global |
Inttl Advocare |
Ira Law |
RNA, Technology and IP Attorneys |
The winners of our 2024 India IP Awards Technology, Media & Telecoms Firms of the Year, in alphabetical order, are: Anand and Anand, ANM Global, Inttl Advocare, Ira Law and RNA, Technology and IP Attorneys
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.
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 2024 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.
Lall & Sethi is noted for its comprehensive expertise in intellectual property law, including trademarks, copyrights, designs, patents, confidential information, and trade secrets. The firm offers a complete suite of IP services, such as filing and prosecution of applications, oppositions and cancellation proceedings, renewals, licensing, franchising, IP audits, and enforcement of rights through civil, criminal or administrative measures.It has significant expertise in IP litigation, including disputes related to patents, trademark infringement, and trade secrets in various courts across India with a proven track record of successful outcomes. Over the past year, the firm has made significant strides in expanding its operations and enhancing its service offerings, including an international expansion by establishing branch offices in Colombo and Kathmandu, which the firm says will allow it to offer localized IP services in Sri Lanka and Nepal. It now represents the interests of 12 of the Top 50 Brands listed by Interbrand for 2023.
Regional Awards |
Mumbai Firm of the Year |
Krishna & Saurastri |
Runners-up |
Gagrats |
R.K. Dewan & Co |
The winner of our 2024 India IP Awards Mumbai Firm of the Year is Krishna & Saurastri. The runners-up, in alphabetical order, are Gagrats and R.K. Dewan & Co.
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.
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. Some 70-75 percent 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.
Regional Awards |
Ahmedabad Firm of the Year |
Y.J. Trivedi & Co. |
Runners-up |
H.K Acharya & Company |
Parker & Parker |
The winner of our 2024 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.
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.
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. The firm has branch offices in Mumbai and in three smaller cities in Gujarat: Vadodara, Rajkot and Morbi. It also has representative offices in Mountain View, California, and Germantown, Maryland, in the United States.
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.
Regional Awards |
Bengaluru Firm of the Year |
Ediplis Counsels |
Runners-up |
IndusLaw |
Krishnamurthy & Co. (K Law) |
The winner of our 2024 India IP Awards Bengaluru Firm of the Year is Ediplis Counsels. The runners-up, in alphabetical order, are Krishnamurthy & Co (K Law) and IndusLaw.
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.
Regional Awards |
Chennai Firm of the Year |
KRIA Law |
Runners-up |
Altacit Global |
Kochhar & Co. |
The winner of our 2024 India IP Awards Chennai Firm of the Year is KRIA Law. The runners-up, in alphabetical order, are Altacit Global and Kochhar & Co.
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.
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.
Regional Awards |
Kolkata Firm of the Year |
S. Majumdar & Co. |
Runners-up |
Fox Mandal |
L.S. Davar & Co. |
The winner of our 2024 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.
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.
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. 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, and operates from offices in New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The firm has recently assisted a client which attempted to register a trademark at the Indian Trademarks Registry, which found a prior registered identical trademark. The firm approached the proprietors of the prior registered identical cited trademark, negotiated on behalf of its client and obtained a letter of consent from the other party so that the proprietors of the identical cited trademark and the firm’s client can co-exist and operate under the same mark for their respective goods. Further based on the letter of consent, the firm was successful in obtaining an acceptance order from the Indian Trademarks Registry in the subject application.
Rising Star Award |
MS Law Partners |
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.