Prepare for a new era

Emerging from the downturn is just the beginning. Corporates and their legal advisers will need to raise their game or flounder. But how?

With the end of the era of “easy growth” comes renewed focus on devising and implementing skilful business strategies. In this task, the lawyer – in-house or private practitioner – has a crucial role to play. How the legal profession can help clients squeeze more value out of existing assets, and cut costs while they’re about it, is the theme of this month’s Cover story (Making your mark). India Business Law Journal’s editor, Vandana Chatlani, explores how IP owners with exposure to India can maximize – as well as better protect – their intangible assets within the confines of tough budgetary constraints.

Her findings deserve careful scrutiny, not only on the part of our regular readers, but also the thousands of delegates in attendance at the International Trademark Association’s (INTA) annual meeting in Seattle, where this issue of India Business Law Journal will enjoy special circulation.

Chatlani discovers that through the careful deployment of “smart strategies”, such as conducting strategic IP reviews, abandoning non-performing assets, reducing registrations to a “need-to-register” basis and developing new approaches to innovation, companies can not only maintain acceptable levels of protection, but also use the downturn as an opportunity to increase the value of their IP portfolios. As Rahul Chaudhry of Lall Lahiri & Salhotra points out (Doing away with false economies), now may even be an opportune moment to acquire new intellectual assets at bargain prices.