About
Gaurav Bhalla
Professional Experience
Gaurav is a member of the Intellectual Property team at the firm and is specialized in handling matters relating to trademarks, copyright, designs, geographical indications, etc. He regularly advises Clients on conducting clearance searches, prosecution of IP filings, handling oppositions, rectifications, enforcement actions, etc.
Gaurav coordinates and liaisons with the in-house counsels of several Fortune 500 companies in the management of their IP portfolios in India (as well as neighboring South East Asian countries). He also regularly works with start-ups, individuals, SMEs, large multi-nationals, etc. towards strategizing and designing appropriate and efficient schemes for management of their intellectual properties.
He is also responsible for handling various contentious matters before the Trademarks Office, the Design Office, the IPAB (Intellectual Property Appellate Board), and the NIXI (National Internet Exchange of India).
He also has vast experience in filing and prosecuting domain name dispute resolution complaints under the UDRP and the INDRP before various fora including the NIXI (National Internet Exchange of India) and the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center.
Gaurav is also the recipient of the Tomorrow’s Leader Award from the INTA in 2019 which recognized his achievements in the trademark fraternity at such a young age. He is also a member of the INTA (International Trademark Association) and currently serves on the International Amicus Committee. As part of the committee, he assisted in the drafting and filing of the amicus brief in the prominent case of TATA SIA Airlines Limited vs. Union of India, WP (C) 11642 of 2019.
Gaurav also has vast experience in assisting various clients with drafting and reviewing of privacy policies, terms of use, non-disclosure agreements, software licensing agreements, SaaS (Software as a Service) agreements, etc.
Related Articles
Analysis of Government Guidelines for Influencer and Celebrity Endorsements on Social Media
The Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has published (on January 20, 2023) guidelines to be adhered by influencers and celebrities in respect of endorsements on social media platforms. The guidelines are primarily applicable on individuals/groups who have access to an audience and the power to affect their audiences’ …
Government releases draft rules for regulation of online gaming
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued (on January 2, 2023) the draft rules for regulation of online gaming in India. Interestingly, the proposed provisions have been introduced as an amendment to the existing Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Further, the draft rules not only cover games …
Government releases draft rules for regulation of online gaming Read More »
MeitY Publishes the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022 for Public Comments
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has published the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022 on November 18, 2022 (“PDPB”) for seeking public comments (until December 17, 2022). The PDPB, 2022 seems to be a big step forward from the existing data protection laws in India (viz. Information Technology (Reasonable security practices and …
MeitY Publishes the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022 for Public Comments Read More »
ASCI Publishes Guidelines for Advertising of Virtual Digital Assets
The Advertising Standards Council of India (“ASCI”) has published the ‘Guidelines for Advertising of virtual Digital Assets and Linked Services’ on February 23, 2022. The ASCI guidelines extract the definition of “Virtual Digital Assets” (“VDA”) from the Financial Bill 2022, following which it lists 12 (twelve) guidelines that are required to be complied with by …
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Karnataka High Court Quashes Ban on Online Games of Skill
In 2021, the Karnataka Government introduced amendments to the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, which has been subject to constant criticism and scrutiny. The amendment prohibited and penalized betting, gambling and playing of online games (without differentiating between games of chance and games of skill). Interestingly, Section 176 of the original Karnataka Police Act, 1963 (which …
Karnataka High Court Quashes Ban on Online Games of Skill Read More »
Sound Mark Registration Process in India
The association and distinguishment of source of goods and/or services through visible marks is not recent and examples of the same may even be found during ancient times, such as the Harappan civilisation. The identification of a distinctive mark has traditionally been limited exclusively to visual parameters. However, the evolution of different technologies and innovations …
Virtual Digital Assets under the Union budget, 2022
The Finance Minister on February 1, 2022, presented the Union Budget, 2022 (“Budget”). The Budget announced certain important developments in the realm of Virtual Digital Assets (“VDAs”). This is the first time that the Government of India has attempted to regulate VDA’s. Positively, with the regulation of VDAs under the Budget, it can be assumed …
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Virtual Digital Assets under the Union Budget, 2022
On February 1, 2022, the Finance Minister (Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman) presented the Union Budget 2022 (“Budget”) during which she has announced some important developments in relation to Virtual Digital Assets (VDA). Primarily, the Finance Minister announced the introduction of RBI backed – Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in the financial year 2022-2023 and a tax …
Virtual Digital Assets under the Union Budget, 2022 Read More »
Report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 presented in Parliament
The Indian Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 (“PDP Bill”) has been pending finalization since it was first tabled in the Indian Parliament by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (“Ministry”) on December 11, 2019. The 30-member joint parliamentary committee (JPC) set up in 2019 to review the PDP Bill, finalized its report, a whole …
Awards & Accolades
