MS Bharath

Practice areas

Intellectual property; licensing & franchising; litigation; technology, media and telecommunications

Introduction

MS Bharath founded KRIA Law in March 2021 after 20 years of practice and 12 years of leading a regional office as a senior partner of a large Indian IP Firm. MS, as he is fondly referred to, is a sought-after litigator, strategist and counsellor in intellectual property, e-commerce, technology, software, franchising and licensing spanning numerous industries and mentored several hundred startups.

India Business Law Journal identified MS as one of India’s top lawyers and a member of the prestigious A-List for 2022-23. In 2022, he was identified as one of Asia’s Leading: IP Expertas by Asia IP. In 2021, he was identified as one of the India’s Super Lawyers by Asia Legal Business. In 2020, the Indian National Bar Association (INBA) nominated him as the IPR Lawyer of the year.

In 2019, he was nominated by the Indian Chapter of the Asia Patent Attorneys Association to represent India as one of the councillors. He currently serves as an officer at several international IP organisations such as a member of the India Global Advisory Council of the International Trademarks Association (INTA) since 2015, councillor of the Asian Patents Attorneys Association and current president of the IP Association of South India.

In 2016, he was appointed as an amicus curiae to assist the Madras High Court in the case of Hindustan Unilever Limited v Andhra Detergent on the matter of territorial jurisdiction of the court in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in IPRs v Sanjay Dalia and the numerous cases of Delhi and Mumbai high courts interpreting it.

He was instrumental in successfully restraining unauthorised use of the famous Tirupati Laddu, a registered GI in India, apart from prosecuting GI applications towards grant for various national and international applicants in India, including those for Baidagi Chillies, tequila and scotch.

MS has repeatedly used mediation and conciliation as a means of resolving large-scale conflicts in IPR including one involving as many as 250 oppositions, two suits, three criminal proceedings and a few freehold properties.

Back to India A-List 2022