Businessworld Lords of IPR

The current issue of Businessworld showcases the legal hotshots who are dominating the booming Intellectual Property Rights arena. From well known industry specialists like Remfry & Sagar and Anand and Anand to newer, upcoming firms like Titus & Co., the article takes a look at the firms’ specialty, revenue and clients..The current issue of Businessworld showcases the legal hotshots who are dominating the booming Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) arena. From well known industry specialists like Remfry & Sagar and Anand and Anand to newer, upcoming firms like Titus & Co., the article takes a look at the firms’ specialty, revenue and clients..The article also takes a look at the firms’ revenues for the year of 2009-2010, fees charged per hour, the firms’ top clients as well as the top cases that have been fought by the firm. The figures that these questions throw up give an interesting insight into the growth of the IP market in India..ND- Not Disclosed .Source: Businessworld, August 2010.Among the firms that agreed to disclose their revenue figures for the year mentioned, the clear market leader continues to be Remfry & Sagar which is also one of the oldest law firms in India set up in 1827. Its staggering revenue of Rs.121 crore ($26 million) and fees of $90 to 1000 (Rs. 4,000 to 46,000) per hour clearly show that the Vidya Sagar led firm is the doyen of India’s IPR business..While reading the article, it seems that the most interesting facet of this feature piece is the staggeringly high hourly fees that are charged by the firms across the board. From Remfry & Sagar’s $ 26 million (Rs. 121 crore) revenue to hourly rates as high as Rs. 46,000 ($1,000), it is a clear sign that the IP market in India is on a fast track. With able lawyers who keep up to date on the latest developments in the IP world from around the world, it is clear that the sky is the limit for this area of law..An interesting feature of the article is the issue of security among the IP firms. Security measures include a no cell phone rule except for Partners and hiring which might be restricted to referrals and grooming home grown talent. Despite these measures there is still scope for a slip up as was evidenced by Diljeet Titus. In 2005 a Nigerian law associate and three other employees of Titus got away with data from the firm’s computers. Titus filed a suit against and eventually won but the firm later decided against prosecuting these associates..The article also tracks the rise of rise of IP filings in India, with figures doubling in the last few years..Showing that the leading IPR lawyers at these firms are not just all about the law, the article also has a few rarely seen insights in the non working life of these mavericks. For example, did you know that Pravin Anand, Managing Partner at Anand and Anand created an IP board game or that Dev Robinson, IPR Partner at AMSS is a keen photographer?.The article also showcases ten prominent IPR cases in recent times apart from tracking the growth of IPR in India and showcasing IPR laws that are in the works.