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Intellectual Property

Protection. Enforcement. Strategy.

A Full-Spectrum Intellectual Property Practice

Lex Readers LLP is pleased to launch a dedicated Intellectual Property practice, extending our full-service legal capability beyond litigation and immigration into the protection, management, and enforcement of our clients' valuable intangible assets. From prosecution to enforcement, and protecting IP portfolio globally, our team partners with businesses and individuals at every stage of the IP lifecycle.

An idea, a brand, an invention, or a creative work is often a business's most valuable asset. Our Intellectual Property practice is built to help clients identify, protect, commercialise, and protect these IP assets, whether they are filing their first trademark or managing a global patent portfolio. Because IP rights are only as valuable as the strategy behind them, we work closely with founders, in-house teams, and creative professionals to build protection strategies that align with the business goals of each client.

Our Intellectual Property Services

Patents

We assist innovators, engineers, and research-driven businesses in protecting their inventions and technical know-how, from initial disclosure through grant and beyond.

  • Patentability opinions and prior art guidance: helping clients understand the strength and scope of an invention before filing
  • Patent drafting and specification preparation: working closely with inventors to capture technical disclosures accurately
  • Filing and prosecution: handling applications before the Indian Patent Office and coordinating filings internationally, including PCT applications
  • Responding to examination reports and office actions, and representing applicants in patent hearings
  • Post-grant support: renewals, amendments, and working statement compliance
  • Patent litigation and opposition: representing clients in infringement actions, pre-grant and post-grant oppositions, and revocation proceedings

Trademarks

Brand identity is often the first thing clients ask us to protect, and our trademark practice is built to move quickly without cutting corners.

  • Trademark search, screening, and clearance opinions prior to adoption of a new brand, name, or logo, non-traditional marks
  • Filing and prosecution of trademark applications, including responses to examination reports and representation at show-cause hearings
  • Opposition and rectification proceedings, both filing and defending
  • Trademark watch services to monitor new filings that may conflict with a client's mark
  • Renewals, recordal of changes, and portfolio maintenance
  • Trademark infringement and passing-off litigation before courts and the relevant IP tribunals
  • Domain name disputes, including proceedings relating to cybersquatting and bad-faith registrations

Copyrights

From software and literary works to films, music, and visual art, we help creators and businesses secure and enforce copyright protection.

  • Copyright registration for literary, artistic, musical, and software works
  • Advice on authorship, ownership, and work-for-hire issues, particularly for businesses commissioning creative or technical work
  • Licensing and assignment of copyright, including for publishing, media, and software distribution arrangements
  • Copyright infringement litigation and takedown actions, including against online and digital piracy

Geographical Indications (GI)

We support producer groups, associations, and businesses seeking to protect products tied to a specific region's reputation, quality, or characteristics.

  • Advising on eligibility and preparing applications for GI registration
  • Representing applicant associations before the GI Registry, including in examination and opposition proceedings
  • Advising authorised users on rights, permitted use, and enforcement against misuse of registered GIs

Industrial Designs

Where the value of a product lies in its visual appeal and shape, our design practice helps clients secure and protect that investment.

  • Design search and registrability assessment prior to filing
  • Preparation and filing of design applications, including responses to objections
  • Design infringement and cancellation proceedings

Allied IP Services

Protecting an IP right is only part of the picture. We also help clients extract value from their IP assets and manage them as part of a broader business strategy.

01

IP Licensing and Assignment

  • Structuring and drafting licensing agreements, including exclusive, non-exclusive, and territory specific licences
  • Drafting and negotiating IP assignment agreements for outright transfer of rights
  • Franchise and technology transfer agreements involving trademarks, patents, or know-how
  • Royalty structuring and advice on related compliance and taxation touchpoints

02

IP Audit and Due Diligence

  • Conducting IP audits to identify, assess, and map a client's existing IP assets and gaps in protection
  • IP due diligence for mergers, acquisitions, investment rounds, and joint ventures
  • Advising on IP representations, warranties, and risk allocation in transaction documents

03

Portfolio Management and Strategy

  • Building and managing multi-jurisdiction trademark and patent portfolios
  • Renewal docketing and deadline management to prevent inadvertent loss of rights
  • Periodic portfolio reviews aligned with business expansion plans

04

Watch, Enforcement, and Anti-Counterfeiting

  • Trademark and design watch services to detect potentially conflicting filings early
  • Cease-and-desist notices and settlement negotiations
  • Anti-counterfeiting actions, including coordinating with enforcement authorities and customs recordal for IP protection at the border

05

Opposition, Cancellation, and Dispute Resolution

  • Filing and defending opposition and cancellation actions across trademarks, patents, and designs
  • Representing clients in mediation and arbitration of IP disputes, where appropriate, as an alternative to litigation
MSMEs & Startups

Supporting MSMEs and Startups in Building Their IP Portfolios

A significant part of our Intellectual Property practice is dedicated to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and startups, businesses for whom intellectual property is often the most valuable, and most overlooked, asset on the balance sheet. We understand that early-stage businesses and MSMEs operate with limited budgets, fast-moving priorities, and founders wearing multiple hats.

Whether a client is registering a first trademark for a new venture or preparing an IP portfolio ahead of a funding round, our goal is the same, to make intellectual property an asset that supports growth, rather than a compliance burden that slows it down.

  • Right-sized IP strategy: helping founders prioritise which assets need protection first, and when
  • Founder-friendly process: plain-language guidance through filing and prosecution, without unnecessary legal jargon
  • Cost-conscious structuring: transparent fee arrangements and phased filing strategies
  • Investment and grant readiness: building IP portfolios that stand up to investor due diligence
  • Founder and promoter education: guidance on ownership, assignment, and avoiding early-stage IP mistakes

Global Reach, Local Insight

Intellectual property rights are territorial, but businesses are increasingly global. With our presence across India and the United Kingdom, and a coordinated network of associates abroad, we help clients protect and enforce their IP rights across multiple jurisdictions through a single point of contact.

Asia-Pacific

India, China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Australia, and Hong Kong

Europe

United Kingdom, European Union (via the EUIPO), Germany, France, Switzerland, and the Netherlands

Americas

United States, Canada, and Brazil

Middle East and Africa

United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Nigeria

This international coordination allows clients to manage a single brand, invention, or design as part of one coherent global strategy, while we handle the local procedural and regulatory nuances of each jurisdiction.

Why Clients Choose Our IP Practice

Full-Service Capability

Prosecution and litigation handled by one coordinated team, avoiding the gaps that arise from working with separate filing and litigation counsel.

Business-First Advice

Practical recommendations grounded in commercial priorities, not protection for its own sake.

Transparent, Predictable Costs

Clear fee structures, particularly valued by MSME and startup clients.

Cross-Border Coordination

A single point of contact for multi-jurisdiction filings and enforcement.

Responsive, Client-Centric Service

The same values of trust, integrity, and clarity that define our litigation and immigration practices.

Get Started

Whether you are protecting a single brand or building a global IP portfolio, our team is ready to help you take the next step. Reach out to us to schedule a consultation with our Intellectual Property team.

Schedule a Consultation