RK Dewan & Co

Podar Chambers, SA Brelvi Road Fort, Mumbai 400 001, India

Firm's Overview

Celebrating 75 years of excellence in 2017, RK Dewan & Co (RKD) is an Indian powerhouse that provides the full spectrum of contentious and non-contentious IP legal services. With headquarters in Mumbai, and six additional offices in New Delhi, Pune, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Indore (and a liason office in China), RKD is well poised to serve its excess of 4,000 Indian and foreign clients – ranging from individuals to Fortune 500 companies – in securing and enforcing their IP rights in India and over 125 countries worldwide, through its reliable associate network.

Sector expertise

RKD’s expertise extends to all technology areas and industry sectors, including software, electronics and telecommunications, automobiles, chemical engineering, building and construction, power, alternative energy, biotechnology, biomedical devices, pharmaceuticals, nanotechnology, textiles, agriculture, defence, education, the Internet, fast-moving consumer goods, hospitality, food and beverages, sports, entertainment and media, fashion and luxury goods, and finance and banking.

RKD is also adept at routinely handling complex IP matters that relate to interdisciplinary subjects.

People

RKD has a high-quality team of 150+ highly trained and dedicated lawyers, patent attorneys, trademark attorneys, engineers, scientists, paralegals and administrative staff equipped to deliver promptly and efficiently. The RKD team also includes a number of senior ex-patent controllers and trademark examiners that bring with them a wealth of knowledge relating to the working of Indian IP offices.

The RKD team is led by Mohan Dewan, a visionary with extraordinary passion for intellectual property and over 40 years of experience. Niti Dewan is the dynamic head of patents and Disha Dewan represents the third generation in this family firm.

Values

RKD is quite unique in that we have a large number of domestic clients, including top Indian companies who have thoroughly vetted us and continue to entrust us with their matters – some have been with us for decades. We believe this is a testament to the superlative quality of our work. Serving such a large domestic clientele also means that we are well versed with the nuances of Indian IP law and practice. We have a seamless infrastructural set-up and are also ISO 9001:2008 certified in our quest to ensure quality control.

We are responsive and transparent in our dealings. We are highly creative and enjoy thinking outside the box to provide innovative solutions tailored to suit specific client requirements. We are proactive in providing clients with timely and honest advice.

Key service offerings

RKD advises clients in all areas of intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, designs, geographical indications, plant varieties and traditional knowledge.

RKD assists clients with all aspects of intellectual property, from filing, prosecution, hearings and appeals, oppositions, rectification or cancellations, commercialisation, brand valuation, litigation, settlements, arbitration, customs recordal and renewals to multi-jurisdictional portfolio management.

RKD handles a large number of Madrid provisional refusals for international clients and is competent at providing a quick turnaround time for substantive responses.

Regarding patents, RKD is one of the largest filers of domestic Indian patent applications and also among the top five Patent Cooperation Treaty filers from India. RKD has a robust in-house patent search team that undertakes prior art, patentability, invalidation and freedom-to-operate searches (for all jurisdictions) and provides comprehensive, well-presented reports accompanied by succinct legal opinion. RKD drafts over 800 new patent specifications each year covering myriad technology areas.

RKD consistently formulates and executes winning India-centric strategies for infringement and anti-counterfeiting actions. RKD has a network of assiduous investigators and local lawyers across the country to unearth piracy and to take opportune action. RKD is equipped to litigate at the Intellectual Property Appellate Board and all tiers of the Indian judiciary, including the district courts.

RKD has been instrumental in assisting clients to maximise their IP assets through IP commercialisation, including licensing, assignment, franchising and technology transfer. RKD has assisted clients with IP valuations, auditing and due diligence, in order to raise funding and to facilitate mergers and acquisitions or joint ventures.

RKD has been recognised as a top-tier law firm by various research publications including Chambers & Partners Asia, Chambers & Partners – Life Sciences, Asialaw Profiles, the WTR 1000 and the IAM Patent 1000.

RKD has a simple motto when it comes to intellectual property: “Maximum leverage, minimum stress.”