As an intellectual property powerhouse that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023, Anand and Anand needs no introduction. The firm is widely praised by the market across all practice areas and sectors for having the top IP litigators, particularly on the patent side. It routinely features in landmark decisions and its lawyers are highly sought after for novel, high-stakes and complex IP cases. The firm is a trusted name in court litigation, mediation, arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution methods. The figures speak for themselves, with the firm winning 116 out of 126 of the lawsuits clients instructed it on in 2022 alone. It also has a patent grant rate of more than 93%. The firm is spread out across four offices – in New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Noida – and comprises 400 professionals, including 29 partners and three directors. The firm also launched its Digital Group practice and end-end-branding practice last year.
The firm’s western practice has collaborated with Naik Naik & Co in Mumbai to form “Anand and Naik”. The joint firm offers corporate commercial litigation and international commercial arbitration, in addition to contentious IP. There is a strong focus on media and entertainment, films, television, social media, e-commerce, sports and gaming, fantasy sports. The teams are exploring emerging areas such as OTT, broadcasting, digital media, the internet, convergence and tech-based hybrid areas such as fintech, edtech, agritech and healthtech.
Managing partner and IP litigation specialist Pravin Anand and partner Vaishali Mittal are key contacts. Other names to note are partners Dhruv Anand, Saif Khan and Shrawan Chopra. The firm recently hired the highly esteemed Dr Ajai Garg from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
The firm acted for Bollywood legend Anil Kapoor to protect his personality and privacy rights. This sparked intense media coverage and highlighted current discussions into ‘dark patterns’. The client had filed a suit raising concerns that tools such as generative AI were being used to simulate or mimic the actor and prejudice his hard-earned goodwill and reputation.
In a marquee high-profile case that served as a global precedent, the team assisted Nokia in obtaining a pro-tem security order, which was a first in India. This groundbreaking precedent was set during the pendency of its client’s SEP/Frand dispute with Oppo. The court held that Nokia was entitled to receive a security payment at the outset even before the bench went into the details of whether Nokia’s patents were infringed and valid. The judgment is certain to have wide ramifications, with the court explicitly stating that even in cases not concerning ex-licensees, the court will pass pro-tem security orders, as the interests of SEP holders need to be protected.
Amazon and Microsoft continue to engage the team for its global tech fraud issues.
