Centre for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Law and Research

Brief About the Centre:

Year and Date of Establishment of the Centre: 15th July, 2024.

Vision:

(a) To create and encourage IPR awareness and education amongst faculty and students on intellectual property rights (IPRs) so that they are aware of how to safeguard their creative works.

(b) To promote MAHE and Manipal Law School in the field of IPR in the academic scenario, short-term certificate courses, executive development programmes, postgraduate diploma courses, and research activities in a variety of IPR sectors need to be launched and undertaken, all while taking industry needs into consideration.

Mission:

(a) The prime aim is to promote, encourage, and conduct academic research in the field of IPR and emerging technologies, policies, and reforms associated with IPR and further, to conduct and launch IPR-related courses in order to drive sustained and broad academic growth of MAHE and Manipal Law School.

(b) A further aim is to promote IPR awareness among academicians and industry professionals.

Team

Name of the Coordinator: Dr. Indranil Saha, Associate Professor and Registered Indian

Patent Agent, Manipal Law School, MAHE, Bengaluru.

Email : indranil.saha@manipal.edu

Name of the Co-Coordinator : Dr. Ella Gorian, Professor, Manipal Law School,
MAHE, Bengaluru.

Email : ella.gorian@manipal.edu

Email (Coordinator): centreipr.mlsblr@manipal.edu

Advisory Committee members:

Chairperson - Prof (Dr) Pinaki Ghosh, IPR Chair Professor, NUJS, Kolkata

Board Member (National) - Dr Mohan Dewan, Principal at R K Dewan & Co.

Board Member (National - Dr Amar Desai (General Manager – Global IP, Zydus)

Board Member (National)- Mr R Lakshminarayanan, Director and Head of IPR and

Innovation Management, Samsung Electronics India.

Board member (National) - Mr Siddharth Karkhanis, Head of IPR, Robert Bosch India.

Research Activities :

Research Project Title :  PVTGs and Government Policies and Programmes, Impact of Modernization on PVTGs

Funding Agency : Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)

Application number : ICSSR-PVTG2-2025-998

Fund amount : Rs. 30, 53,000/-

Date of application : 21^st November, 2025

Role : Dr. Indranil Saha (Coordinator of the Centre) is the Co Project Director (Co-PD)

Other Educational Activities :

(1) On behalf of the Centre, Dr Indranil Saha, Coordinator of the Centre was an invited speaker and panelist as an expert at the National Conference on Navigating the Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Law: Ethical and Legal Horizons, Techno India University, 27-29 September 2024.

The invited lecture in the conference dealt with legal aspects of emerging technologies in the field of artificial intelligence, both in the healthtech as well as fintech sector and its intersection with the need to regulate these technologies legally as well as on ethical grounds for sustainability and betterment of the society.

(2) Dr Indranil Saha, Coordinator of the Centre was an invited speaker as an expert on the topic of “Fundamentals of Technology Transfer”, Sikkim Manipal University in collaboration with the Centre for IPR Law and Research Centre, MAHE,  14 October 2024.

The invited lecture in the webinar dealt with fundamentals of patenting, technology readiness levels, Start Up’s and MSME’s, funding opportunities and schemes and methods of technology transfer, specially for universities.

(3) Dr Indranil Saha, Coordinator of the Centre was an invited speaker in the one day workshop as an expert on the topic of “Fundamentals of IPR and Design in Architecture and Planning”, Manipal School of Architecture and Planning, MAHE in collaboration with Centre for IPR Law & Research, MAHE, 11^th  January, 2025.

The workshop dealt with legal aspects of Designs Act, 2000 and the Copyright Act, 1957 involved in registration and further commercialization of creations in the field of architecture and design engineering.

(4) Dr Indranil Saha, Coordinator of the Centre was an invited speaker in the one day seminar as an expert on the topic of “IPR as a Career Choice”, Xavier Law School, St. Xavier’s University, Newtown, Kolkata in collaboration with Centre for IPR Law & Research, MAHE, 02^nd  April, 2025.

The invited lecture in the seminar dealt with the commercial aspects and impact of the subjects involved in intellectual property rights study like patents, trademark, copyright and the scope of choosing a career in law in IPR with high prospective returns in future for the law students.

(5) Dr Indranil Saha, Coordinator of the Centre was an invited speaker as an expert in one day seminar on the topic of “Fundamentals of Technology Transfer”, Faculty of Juridical Sciences, JIS University, Kolkata in collaboration with Centre for IPR Law & Research, MAHE, 04^th  April, 2025.

The invited lecture in the seminar dealt with fundamentals of patenting, technology readiness levels, Start Up’s and MSME’s, funding opportunities and schemes and methods of technology transfer, specially for universities.

(6) Dr Indranil Saha, Coordinator of the Centre was an invited speaker as an expert in three days workshop in the area of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Intellectual property Rights, on the topic of “AI and IPR Intersection”, Reva University, Bengaluru, 22^nd April, 2025.

The invited lecture in the workshop dealt with legal aspects of emerging technologies in the field of artificial intelligence, both in the healthtech as well as fintech sector and its intersection with intellectual property rights, especially patents and copyright laws. It also dealt with the need to regulate these technologies legally as well as on ethical grounds for the sustainability and betterment of society.

(7) Dr Indranil Saha, Coordinator of the Centre was an invited speaker as an expert, on the topic of “Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies and Smart Contracts” as part of Law Special Lecture Series, Vidyashilp University, Bengaluru, 25^th  April, 2025.

The invited lecture dealt with core aspects of technologies like block chain and legality of smart contracts that are the backbone of cryptocurrencies, the legal and regulatory  framework involved in India, the types of cryptocurrencies and the risks involved.

(8) Dr Indranil Saha, Coordinator of the Centre was an invited speaker as an expert, on the topic of “Patents : Concepts, Process and Legal  Framework”, ATAL Faculty Development Program, Dayanand Sagar Business Academy, Bengaluru, 23^rd – 28^th June, 2025.

The invited lecture dealt with fundamentals concepts in relation to inventions, novelty, inventive step, industrial applications, patentability and the associated legal framework under the Indian Patents Act, 1970.

(9) Dr Indranil Saha, Coordinator of the Centre was an invited speaker as an expert on 01^st August, 2025, to deliver lecture on the topic of "Introduction to Intellectual property Rights", in a seven-day virtual workshop named "Saptah Workshop: Discovering the Next Big Idea" organized by the Innovation and Incubation Centre (E-Cell) of MAHE- Bengaluru, in association with the Institution’s Innovation Council (a Ministry of HRD initiative) and the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society.

The workshop was designed to guide aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs  on a comprehensive journey from the initial spark of an idea to creating a compelling pitch in the field of innovation and subsequent IPR protection and commercialization. 

(10) Dr Indranil Saha, Coordinator of the Centre was an invited speaker in the two day workshop, as an expert, on the topic of “Fundamentals of Patents and Designs”, Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, design and Technology, Bengaluru, in collaboration with Centre for IPR Law & Research, MAHE, Bengaluru, 15^th – 16^th September, 2025.

The workshop dealt with aspects of design registration possibilities coupled with prospects of patent filing for the work, the B.Des students are doing at Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, design and Technology, specially in relation to artificial limb, movement and functional technologies.

(11) Dr Indranil Saha, Coordinator of the Centre was an invited speaker as an expert in the Pro-Sigma Multi-Disciplinary Faculty Development Program, MIT, MAHE Bengaluru, in collaboration with the Centre for IPR Law & Research, MAHE, Bengaluru, 23^rd August, 30^th August and 06^th September, 2025.

The FDP dealt with aspects of selecting an emerging technology area, choosing a specific problem in that area, finding prior art in that specific area, devising and building a solution, and checking for patentability prospects.

(12) Manipal Law School, MAHE- Bengaluru and Centre for IPR Law and Research, MAHE, organised a 3-hour workshop on “FILING, PROSECUTION AND INFRINGEMENT OF DESIGN APPLICATIONS” on 15^th October, 2025. The event hosted Mr. Abhishek Sharma Partner and Co-Founder of Pulastya Legal Services LLP, as the resource person.

The workshop dealt with the fundamentals of designs, what can and cannot be registered as design, practical knowledge and insights on filing and prosecution of Design applications in India, and also dealt with seminal case laws on infringement of Design applications in India.

(13) Dr Indranil Saha, Coordinator of the Centre was an invited speaker as an expert, in the one day seminar on the topic of “Fundamentals of Fintech”, Manipal Law School, Bengaluru, in collaboration with Centre for IPR Law & Research, MAHE, 13^th November, 2025.

The seminar was specifically aimed at LLM students pursuing their master's degree in law in the fields of data privacy and IT law. Considering that fintech is the way forward in banking and finance sectors, the seminar dealt with core aspects of fintech, the technologies and regulations involved and the prospects of the fintech industry, especially in India. 

(14) Manipal Law School, MAHE- Bengaluru and Centre for IPR Law and Research, MAHE, organized a 3-hour workshop on 19^th November, 2025, on  “FILING & PROSECUTION OF TRADEMARKS”. Mr. Sourav Dan, Counsel-Khaitan & Co., was the invited resource person.

Broadly, the workshop covered the practical aspects of kinds and categories of trademarks, registration procedure for various kinds of trademark, preparing prosecution application and overcoming objections from the IPO in trademark prosecution.