Asialaw Profiles
The Guide to the legal markets of the Asia-Pacific

With offices in New Delhi, Noida, Chennai and Mumbai, Anand & Anand retains its top tier status with its active IP practice. Though the firm has recently seen some IP partners leave for pastures new, the widely respected managing partner Pravin Anand continues to head up a very capable team. Recent work includes handling Span Diagnostic’s case for an appeal to the High Court of the assistant controller’s decision to grant a patent to J Mitra that Anand’s client, the respondent, had opposed.

The eight-partner team at Remfry & Associates is the top filer at the Delhi Patent Office and one of the largest and oldest IP teams in India. The Gurgaon-headquartered firm, which has offices in Mumbai and Chennai as well as Beijing, consists of 80 practitioners in total who focus on prosecution, licensing and enforcement work. Key clients include Novartis, Qualcomm, Bayer Healthcare, BP and Proctor & Gamble.

The dedicated full-service IP practice at DP Ahuja & Co specialises in patent and trade mark prosecution and litigation. Housing a total of 22 attorneys and five litigating counsel, the Calcutta-based firm provides fully integrated, high-quality legal and professional services in the area of IP filings, prosecution and litigation. The firm’s international trade mark department files more than 500 trade mark applications annually in all countries around the world for both Indian and foreign clients. Key clients include Calvin Klein, Revlon, Hitachi, Cadbury, Total and Infosys.

Full service IP boutique K&S Partners has offices in Gurgaon and Bangalore and a team of 24 lawyers and 30 technology specialists. The firm is particularly strong on the prosecution side though, in D Calab Gabriel, Rajeshwari H and Sanjeev Tiwari, it is also strong on litigation. Key clients include Qualcomm, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Toyota.

Specialist IP practice Lall Lahiri & Salhotra is headed by Amar Raj Lall and includes the experienced Anuradha Salhotra and energetic Rahul Chaudhry. Providing the full range of advisory services, including IP management strategies, ADR and IP valuation, the firm has been instrumental in the development of IP law in India.

Lall Lahiri advises on fields as diverse as pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, FMCG, telecoms, consumer goods, electronics, entertainment, fashion, engineering and IT and represents almost 100 of the Fortune 500 companies. Key clients include Exxon Mobil Corporation, Noartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Estee Lauder Companies, Syngenta and Metlife, USA.

Recent work includes successfully advising US-based publisher Reed Elsevier on a trade mark infringement case against law firm Lex Nexus. The Mumbai and New Delhi-based firm was found to be infringing the trademark LEXIS NEXIS. Observing the striking similarity between the two marks, the Delhi High Court passed an ex-parte interim injunction against the firm, which renamed itself BRUS Chambers, restraining them from using the trade mark Lex Nexus.

Dubey & Partners

Dubey & Partners’ intellectual property practice houses eight lawyers and is headed up by partner Azeem Khan. Covering registrations and prosecutions, the practice benefits from numerous referrals from international law firms rather then receiving many direct client instructions. An example of a recent international mandate came from the Eaton Corporation, which operates across the electrical, automotive and aviation sectors. Domestic work is focused on advising Indian telecommunication companies on their applications internationally.

IPR International Services

The 14-strong team at Delhi firm IPR International Services covers the full remit of IP services including patents, trade marks, copyrights, designs and geographical indications. The team is qualified in the fields of science and technology, engineering and law.

Lakshmikumaran & Sidharan

Housing no fewer than six offices across the country, with more than 120 lawyers, Lakshmikumaran & Sidharan handles every aspect of intellectual property rights. This includes patent litigation, drafting, filing and prosecution, trade marks, copyright and IP licensing and transactions.

Lex Orbis

Manoj Pillai manages the IP practice at Lex Orbis, which includes a 14-strong patent attorney team in Delhi. The practice covers trade marks, copyright and design and enforcement work. Key lawyers include Sushil Kumar, Manisha Singh Nair and Ramesh Babu MR.

Singhania & Co

Offering IP protection, maintenance and management needs to companies operating in sectors such as pharmaceutical, IT and biotechnology, Singhania & Co comes recommended. The firm is unusual in that, in addition to its eight branch offices across India, it also has bases in London and New York. Key personnel includes Hemant Kumar Goyal and Anshuman Tiwari.

Singhania & Partners

One of the oldest full service firms in India, Singhania & Partners has a network of offices across the country. Its IP practice covers patents, trade marks, copyright, design and geographical indication registration, and prosecution (opposition and infringement) for enforcement of IP rights.

Titus & Co

One of the many strengths of the IP practice at Titus & Co is its substantial Southeast Asia focus. The 40-lawyer team, which includes such key players as Diljeet Titus Praveen Nagar and Nagendra Kasana, has significant experience providing representation before state courts all over the country as well as the Supreme Court of India.