India

Anand and Anand is widely regarded as India’s premier intellectual property boutique, with an outsized influence on the country’s evolving IP jurisprudence. The firm’s litigation team, led by managing partner Pravin Anand, a veteran advocate with over four decades of courtroom experience, and senior partner Vaishali Mittal, has notched a series of precedent-setting victories in IP and technology disputes over the past year. In addition to handling a prodigious volume of routine patent, trademark and copyright cases, the firm has taken the lead on first-of-their-kind disputes involving emerging issues like generative AI, personality rights, and high-stakes pharmaceutical patents.  

Anand and Mittal remain directly involved in the most significant matters and appeals, typically flanked by a cadre of recognised partners including Dhruv Anand and Udita Patro. Other notable partners include Saif Khan, who brings expertise at the intersection of IP and white-collar crime and cybercrime to the disputes group, and Shrawan Chopra, a seasoned IP litigator who has led significant patent and design infringement suits.  

In the past year, Anand and Anand opened a new office in Bengaluru formally launched dedicated practice groups for AI and data protection to complement its longstanding IP specialisation. The firm has been actively advising industry bodies on responsible AI guidelines and it even co-drafted a government-backed Developer’s Playbook for AI risk mitigation, underscoring its thought leadership on technology-driven legal challenges. 

One of the firm’s most significant achievements last year was its trailblazing work in defending personality and publicity rights against misuse of generative AI. Building on a 2023 win for actor Anil Kapoor – India’s first lawsuit tackling unauthorised deepfake videos – Anand and Anand cemented its reputation as the go-to firm in this niche with a series of high-profile cases. In September 2025, the firm represented Bollywood icon Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in a landmark Delhi High Court action to stop the unauthorised exploitation of her image and name. The case set a strong legal foundation for the “right of publicity” in India, which is not expressly codified in any statute but was affirmed by the court as an outgrowth of the constitutional right to privacy. The court’s sweeping order restrained a host of defendants from a range of infringing activities. The judgment was widely hailed in the media for giving much-needed clarity on publicity rights in the digital era. Importantly, it affirmed that publicity rights in India protect all individuals, not just celebrities, against misappropriation of their name, voice, or image online.  

The firm’s string of personality-rights wins continued with a series of new suits on behalf of well-known actors. In late 2025 it obtained interim relief for Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan, in which the High Court barred numerous parties from creating AI-generated images and explicit content misusing the actor’s likeness. That order, one of several secured by Anand and Anand in 2025, further underscored that even non-commercial, derogatory digital content can violate a person’s right to privacy and dignity, especially when disseminated widely online. In another recent case, the firm represented a prominent South Indian film star to stop an onslaught of fake AI-generated videos and merchandise, with the Delhi High Court again emphasising the need to prevent AI-fueled violations of personality rights. Through these cases, Anand and Anand has emerged as a pioneer in Indian courts’ response to generative AI, translating the clients’ concerns over deepfakes and AI-driven image abuse into robust legal protection. The firm’s work also dovetails with its policy advocacy: it has been instrumental in shaping industry guidelines for AI and frequently engages with government and tech think-tanks on establishing responsible AI frameworks.  

In parallel with its cutting-edge tech and media work, Anand and Anand has maintained its dominance in traditional IP litigation, especially in patents. The firm often represents global companies in complex patent disputes spanning industries from life sciences to electronics, and it has continued to secure favourable results in the face of novel legal challenges. A standout example is the ER Squibb v Zydus patent case where the firm acted for a consortium of innovators led by US pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb. The firm obtained a precedent-setting injunction from the Delhi High Court to protect a groundbreaking cancer immunotherapy. The defendant, Zydus Lifesciences, had planned to launch a biosimilar of Nivolumab before BMS’s patent expiry in 2026, prompting what is widely regarded as India’s first biologic drug patent infringement suit. The court’s order, was remarkable for its breadth: it not only barred Zydus from making or selling its proposed biosimilar during the life of BMS’s patent, but also forbade the company from stockpiling any inventory even for post-patent launch. The ruling effectively closed a loophole by which generic manufacturers might try to build up product stock before patent expiry – a practice the judge held would itself amount to infringement. Moreover, the court acknowledged the patent’s validity and novelty at this interim stage, signaling that the patentees had a strong case on the merits. The case has been closely watched as a bellwether for patent enforcement on biologic medicines in India. 

In addition to such headline cases, Anand and Anand’s dispute resolution practice continues to handle a steady stream of complex multinational IP disputes. In a trademark battle decided in September 2025, the firm successfully represented Belgian drugmaker Exphar SA in suing an Indian pharmaceutical company for adopting a confusingly similar name and logo. In another matter, the firm represented Hamdard in a defamation and trademark disparagement suit against a competitor that had launched a smear campaign against Hamdard’s flagship beverage brand. These cases, alongside dozens of other successful enforcement actions in the past year, reflect the range and reach of Anand and Anand’s disputes portfolio. 

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“Anand and Anand provided highly professional services.” - Intellectual property 

Vaishali Mittal

“Vaishali Mittal consistently approaches our legal challenges proactively and offers creative, well-reasoned solutions. Her insights into Indian legal practice have materially contributed to the success of our matters."