Delhi HC judge calls for reform in legal education for patent law expertise

Justice Pratibha M Singh, a Judge of the Delhi High Court, recently advocated for legal education in India to incorporate subjects such as science and mathematics to produce domain experts in every area of litigation.

Speaking at a seminar organized by Anand and Anand, an IP law firm, she emphasized the need for experts in patent law to provide opinions on complex scientific issues that arise during litigation.

Justice Singh also highlighted the increased awareness about IP in India over the last 10-15 years, with even small business owners realizing the importance of protecting their brands. However, she noted that the internet poses one of the biggest challenges to enforcing IP, with infringement on the internet being much more widespread than in the real world.

She also spoke about the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which established minimum standards for the regulation of IP by national governments. Justice Singh credited TRIPS for the advancement of IP jurisprudence in India, but questioned the need for TRIPS 2.0 in light of the challenges posed by the internet.