Payal Kalra

Currently serving as a Partner at Remfry & Sagar, where I play a key role in providing legal expertise and strategic guidance to clients in the field of Patent filing, prosecution, opposition, portfolio management as well as on Biodiversity Act.

My responsibilities include:

• Managing a team of [3 to 5] Patent prosecution attorneys handling chemical, pharma and biotech inventions
• Actively handling Patent Oppositions before the IPO for overseas clients in diverse technologies, including drafting of pleadings, attending hearings
• Supervising drafting of Patent specifications for domestic clients.
• Formulating strategy for developing and managing patent portfolios as per the needs of client’s business
• Represented Firm at several conferences, domestically and internationally including APAA, GIPC, MIP
• Well versed with Biodiversity Act. Actively involved in seeking approvals for overseas clients for accessing biological material from India for research and/or commercialization and applying for IPR.
• Delivering lectures on Patent law
• Liaison with the Indian Patent Office, across all four branches as well as with law firms located in foreign jurisdictions

Other Responsibilities-

• Oversaw Patent Annuity department (team size 4 to 6) for over 8 years and successfully handled over 50 Patent restoration applications
• Involved in Appeal proceedings at the erstwhile IPAB: Drafting Appeals in cases rejected under Section 15 and other pleading thereto. Successfully argued the matters independently before the IPAB.
• Design Law- Actively handled design portfolio of the firm for over 6 years. Managed design filing, prosecution, cancellation applications, registration, recordal of assignments and renewal of designs

Completed training in the area of Intellectual Property Rights under WOS–C Scheme of TIFAC at Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan. This is a government funded training conducted by Technology Information, Forecasting Assessment Council (TIFAC)-an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.