In this article, Vatsala Sharma discusses Best Intellectual Property Law Internships in India.

With the development of Intellectual Property Rights in India, there has been a major upsurge in various sectors including the economic and educational sector. With the signing of TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) agreement by India, the industry of Intellectual Property is exponentially growing. Patent work has emerged as a highest paying work in the United States of America, with lawyers charging between US $500 to US $ 1500 an hour. In India, the costs of obtaining each patent range from Rs. 75000/- to Rs. 200,000/-. People are getting highly aware of their Intellectual Property rights and there has been a rise in the applications filed against infringement of such rights. With India becoming a hub of startups and R&D centers as well as big potential market for products of MNCs, a career option in Patents and other Intellectual Property issues cannot and should not be ignored by Lawyers and young law graduates.

A survey on the trend of patents applications and design applications filed in India over last 15 years clearly shows a rising trend after the year 2002-03.

Thus, this growing trend has also shown a great increase in law students willing to make a career in IP law, provided its vast knowledge and its increasing scope in India. A person who is enthusiastic enough to make a career in this field, here are some of the places where he/she might like to intern.

Note – Application Process and Official Address listed at the end.

SpicyIP Internship Programme

About the Internship Programme

The SpicyIP Internship Programme offers law students and graduates the chance to engage in meaningful research, writing and analysis in the field of IP and innovation law and policy. The interns will be required to provide high-quality research and writing assistance for various research papers, book projects, blog posts, public interest petitions, reports, advocacy campaigns and other initiatives undertaken by SpicyIP with the aim of fostering a more transparent, collaborative and productive IP/innovation ecosystem in India.

S.S Rana and Company

S.S Rana and Company is a Delhi based law firm which works in the diverse areas relating to Intellectual Property Law such as trademark, copyright and patent. It is also working towards excellence in other fields such as litigation and corporate. With the developing interest of law students in making a career in Intellectual Property law, the firm provides wide range of internship opportunities in all the fields to willing and enthusiastic students.

With a belief that academic knowledge needs to be ably supported and balanced with corporate ethics, it provides an opportunity to the interns to benefit from their expertise and skills. It also provides career security by retaining some of their able trainees and interns.

Work Environment

With a cheerful staff, the office has a friendly and positive work atmosphere and one is always welcome with their doubts and eagerness to learn. The interns are expected to be productive and to perform to the best of their abilities.

Timings

The office timings are generally from 9 A.M to 6:30 P.M.

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI)

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is an association of business organizations in India. Established in 1927, it is the largest and oldest apex business organisation in India. The Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Division at FICCI is intensively involved with issues relating to the protection and enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights. It has taken decisive steps in raising the levels of awareness about Intellectual Property Rights amongst the citizens of India.

To enhance the knowledge of young generation it also provides online certificate courses as well as effective internships to students. It helps them to work with diverse talents from across India and have a deep insight into the working of IPR.

Work Environment

They provide a variety of work in IP research ranging from conventional patents issues to the recent noisemakers.

The basic work in the office involves research, attending ministry meetings and various conferences, preparing minutes of the meetings, drafting them, and submitting a research paper at the end of the internship. In totality, it is an ideal opportunity to work in the field of Intellectual Property law.

Timings

The office timings are generally from 9:45 A.M to 5:45 P.M.

Anand and Anand Associates

Ranked among the top 40 law firms in India by RSG India, Anand and Anand is a full-service IP law firm and a big name engaged in providing various Intellectual Property solutions to their clients.

Interning at Anand and Anand not only provides an enormous amount of knowledge to a law student willing to create a career in Intellectual Property law, but also is a sure-shot stamp of bright and successful future. It deals with various areas relating to Intellectual Property such as copyright, patents, design and trademark.

Work Environment

An intern is required to choose any one department from patent, trademark and litigation. Basic work includes research, drafting and case analysis.

Timings

The timings of the office are generally from 9:30 to 6:30, which may be extended depending on the workload.

A Trademark lawyer in Intellectual Property Appellate Board

Intellectual Property Appellate Board was set up with the objective of hearing and adjudication of appeals against the orders given by the Registrar under the Indian Trademarks Act, 1999. The aim of IPAB is speedy disposal of appeals and rectification of applications. Intellectual Property Appellate Board is headquartered in Chennai and it has its benches in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad.

A trademark lawyer in India assists trademark holders in every possible way. They not only provide guidance and counsel the clients on registration and subsequent use of trademarks but also make sure that the trademark does not infringe upon rights of another.

Trademark Lawyers are also hired by big corporate companies and firms to provide assistance and guidance in matters relating to trademarks of the Company. Working under a trademark lawyer not only enhances one’s knowledge under Trademarks Act, but also provides an in-depth experience of working at Intellectual Property Appellate Board. This will enhance one’s knowledge about the active involvement of government to protect the intellectual property rights of the citizens.

Copyright Office

The copyright office is a government body constituted to protect copyrights of an individual or a body and also to ensure proper regulation and application of the Copyright Act, 1957. It is an act which came into force in January 1958 to regulate and amend laws relating to copyright. This Act has been amended six times till date since then, i.e., in 1983, 1984, 1991, 1994, 1999 and 2012. 

Work Environment

An internship in copyright office provides an in-depth knowledge and analysis of the Copyright Act, which is one of the very crucial and vital statute relating to copyrights protection. The practical aspects of copyright protection can be learnt thoroughly through this office.

The basic objective of internship at copyright office is to familiarize the interested and willing students of law with the provisions of Copyright Act and its application including registration formalities & copyright policy. The main tasks in the internship involves filing of application for copyright and to observe the copyright procedure. One is also taught how to work on the copyright software for the registration of the application and also have to make corrections in the applications filed. The eligibility criteria, educational qualifications of the internship are as follows-

Eligibility Criteria

The internship is for Indian National only. Internship is open to students from recognized Institutions and Universities with exposure to Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) particularly in Copyright Law. They do not take students with a placement in their hand.

Educational Qualifications

Students pursuing following courses can apply:

• Second and third year of the Bachelors degree in Law (3 year course after graduation)
• Fourth and final year of the integrated five year course in Law.
• LLM of Ist Year or final year

The application process and scheme of internship is provided on the official site by the name “guidelines for internship”. The official site is copyright.gov.in.

Timings

The office timings for the interns are 9:00 A.M to 5:00 P.M.

Lall and Sethi

Lall & Sethi is an organization dedicated to the IP laws including trademarks, copyrights, designs, patents, confidential information & trade secrets, entertainment and sports laws, information technology laws, etc. The firm has an excellent litigation team dealing in various fields within Intellectual Property with Advocate Chander Lall as its founding Partner. They have their reach in 7 other countries apart from a strong foothold in India. They also cover other Intellectual Property management and transactional services.

Internship at this firm helps you to learn the drafting and pleading skills in the field of Intellectual Property laws.

Work Environment

The type of work involves research, drafting trademark applications, replies to office objections and oppositions and other work and also preparing research notes for written submissions. Interns also accompany the litigation team to the High court and District courts to gain insight of a case one may have worked on.

Timings

The office timings are generally from 9:30 A.M to 7:00 P.M except when there are deadlines.

Chadha and Chadha

Chadha & Chadha IP is a Patent & Trademark Agency. The Firm stands for highest quality of work in all aspects of Intellectual Property including Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, Designs, Plant Varieties, Emerging IPs, Licensing and transactional IP. It is based in New Delhi with 10 offices in India.

Work Environment

Main tasks include research work and drafting of various Trademark documents. One is assigned a certain team to work in. The work environment is really good and relaxed. Associates make sure to explain everything in detail before giving work. The associates would also review your work and also point out the mistakes.

Timings

The timings generally depend upon the type of work and the workload. The reporting time is 8:30 A.M in the morning.

Krishna and Saurastri

Krishna & Saurastri Associates LLP (KSA) is a full-service Intellectual Property (IP) Law firm that is focused on providing cost efficient IP legal services. The offices are in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Pune and Ahmedabad. The firm’s practice areas include intellectual property counseling, prosecution, litigation and transactions. This includes patents, trademarks, copyrights, designs, geographical indications, plant varieties, domain names and semiconductor IC layouts.

The firm has been ranked among the top tier Indian IP law firms consistently by leading domestic and international legal publications.

Work Environment

The work basically included research on various intellectual property related topics. Interns are given the majority of the work in IP litigation like trademark disputes etc. Also, the work involved Patent Prior Art search and filing of applications for Trademark registration.

Timings

The office timings are generally from 9:30 A.M to 6:30 A.M depending upon the workload.

IPR Attorney Associations

To spread awareness about the importance of Intellectual Property Rights, the advocates and the IP Practitioners formed the IPR Attorney Association at the beginning of 2011. The IPR Attorney Association was duly registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975.

The firm promotes and encourages the innovation of the intellectual minds of the people, and its motives include safeguard of the national treasures and making the people aware of the Intellectual Products registered under IP Law. To fulfill the same, the association has taken great efforts in organizing various activities involving the youth.

Work Environment

Mainly the interns are allotted work on different projects and one might be asked to write letters to officials and drafting.

Timings

Timings for male interns is 10 A.M to 7 P.M or 8 P.M, and for female interns it is till 6 P.M.

Remfry and Sagar

The firm deals with all aspects of trademark prosecution and maintenance covered and handle infringement litigation. Many of its members are thought leaders in the international IP community and are influential in the development of India’s IP infrastructure. Remfry & Sagar is a firm that advises more than 8000 clients worldwide on their trademarks, patents, designs, copyright, geographical indications, domain names and unfair competition issues. They also work with many reputed businesses and Fortune 500 companies, as well as start-ups, policy makers and government enterprises.

Work Environment

The main work that is given during the internship at Remfry and Sagar is drafting and the work given is no different than the work being done by the associates. It has a great work culture.

Timings

9:30 A.M to 6:00 P.M from Monday to Friday.

Application Process and Official Address

Name	Application Process	Office Address
S.S Rana and Company	Upload a CV ON their official website www.ssrana.in.	81/2, 2nd & 3rd Floors, Aurobindo Marg, Adhchini, New Delhi.
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI)	Send an updated CV along with a cover letter on [email protected].	FICCI, Near Mandi House metro station, Delhi.
Anand and Anand Associates	Send a CV and cover letter on [email protected]. One can also fill up the internship form given on their official website www.anandandanand.com.	Delhi, Noida, Chennai and Mumbai. The addresses of all the four offices are provided on the official website www.anandandanand.com.
A Trademark lawyer in Intellectual Property Appellate Board	Contact any trademark lawyer and follow up.	Intellectual Property Appellate Board is headquartered in Chennai and it has its benches in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad. Get the address from its website https://ipabindia.org/
Copyright Office	By following the application process for internship provided on the official site by the name “guidelines for internship”. The official site is copyright.gov.in.	Boudhik Sampada Bhawan, Plot No. 32, Sector 14, Dwarka, New Delhi.
Lall and Sethi	E-mailing CV along with cover letter to [email protected].	Office address is D-17,South Extension– II, New Delhi.
Chadha and Chadha	Send an internship application on the firm’s Email ID – [email protected].	The office addresses are available on the official website https://www.candcip.com/contact-us.
Krishna and Saurastri	Fill up the application form on http://www.krishnaandsaurastri.com/?p=careers_student.	Office is in 5 different cities. The official address of all the five offices is provided on the official website http://www.krishnaandsaurastri.com/?id=45&pid=6&p2id=6 .
IPR Attorney Associations	Apply on the official website by filling this form http://www.iprattorneyassociation.com/summer_internship.php	Old No 49, YMIA New india Building, First Floor 2 line Beach Road, Morre Street, Chennai.
Remfry and Sagar	[email protected] One needs to apply here and follow up followed by a telephonic interview	Remfry House at the Millennium Plaza, Sector 27, Gurugram – 122 009 New Delhi National Capital Region, India

Conclusion

The firms and organizations listed above are not based on any ranks but are one of the best places to intern in order to have a stronghold in Intellectual Property Law both theoretically and practically. With the increasing interest in this area of law, these internships are sure to provide a strong base for the future of those willing to secure their career in the field of Intellectual Property Law. Apart from these, there are a lot of other firms working really well in this area and sure to give a deep knowledge of the subject.