Senior Partner
Archana Shanker
Senior Partner & Head of Department (Patents & Designs)
At the top of her game, Archana is a zealous patent practitioner setting new patent narratives in Indian IP jurisprudence.
At the top of her game, Archana is a zealous patent practitioner setting new patent narratives in Indian IP jurisprudence while heading the Patents & Designs department at Anand and Anand.
Legally, scientifically and technologically savvy, Archana is the go-to person for patent protection and enforcement, prosecution, pre-grant and post- grant oppositions, appeals, revocations, plant variety protection as she manages an extensive portfolio of patents. She has put together a distinguished team – an ensemble of lawyers-cum-scientists, engineers, biotechnologists, chemists and physicists. As a result of the dual qualification and expertise, Archana works, advises and strategizes extensively in litigation/adversarial proceedings.
- WIPR Leading IP Lawyer 2022 – Patents
- Ranked in Chambers and Partners Asia Pacific Guide 2022 Chambers says, “Archana Shanker is widely recognized in the market for her work in the patent sphere. She typically advises clients in the pharmaceuticals and life sciences sectors on prosecution, opposition and infringement litigation matters. She has additional expertise in handling contentious trade mark and plant variety matters”.
- Ranked as Global Leader 2022 by IAM
- IAM Patent 1000 the World’s Leading Patent Professionals 2021 IAM says, “One of the most successful female practitioners in the market, Archana Shanker leads the patents and design team”
- Ranked as Global Leader by IAM Strategy 300 for 2022
- Ranked as Elite Practitioner by Asia Law Profiles and Leading Lawyers 2022
- Anand and Anand was recognized amongst the most innovative law firms in the FT Innovative Lawyers Asia-Pacific 2021 special report. The report featured the firm in the following case study on innovation in the Asia-Pacific region: “The firm succeeded in opposing ‘pre-grant opposition’ to a patent sought by its client, Pfizer, in India. Opposition is a legal process that allows third parties to halt the award of a patent after an application is published. The ruling means a party bringing pre-grant opposition in India must now establish its identity and show it has relevant domain knowledge, which will help prevent opportunistic parties challenging patents in future.” Pfizer was represented by a team comprising Senior Partner Archana Shanker and Director Gitika Suri
- Ranked as Global Leader in IP Patents in WWL Global Leaders 2021
- Recognized as a Leading Lawyer by IAM Patent 2021
- Ranked among Powerful Women in IP India 2021 by World IP Forum
- Recognized as Leading Individual for 2022 by Legal 500
- World’s Leading Patent Practitioner-IAM 300 and IAM 1000
- Consistently featured in Expert Guides Women in Business Law (Patents)-2016-2020
- Among MIP Top 250 Women IP Professionals and IP Star 2016 – 2021
- Chambers and Partners Spotlight for Life Sciences 2016 – 2020
- IFLR Euromoney Asia Women in Business Law-2019
- Ranked in Whos Who Legal – Patents and Life Sciences – 2015-19
Archana is the co-author of Chapter on Patents in Halsbury’s Laws of India on IP. Besides this, she regularly contributes to various national and international publications such as:
- Managing Intellectual Property;
- World Intellectual Property Review;
- Asia IP Magazine;
- IAM Magazine; and
- Getting the Deal
- Archana features on the editorial panel of Life Sciences IP Review (LSIPR), with articles regularly published in various leading industry-focused specialized
Archana is a profound orator who regularly speaks at national and international forums. Her prudent insights on matters including pharmaceuticals, life sciences, software, mechanics, electronics and biodiversity earn her invitations to address stakeholders across international forums.
Archana has enabled the firm to successfully secure patent protection for Nivolumab after 6 oppositions, ertugliflozin, Delgocitinib for Japan Tobacco and Luseogliflozin for Taisho after several pre-grant oppositions. She has also successfully defended several ICT (SEP) patents and mechanical inventions; secured patent for Pfizer for Tofacitinib while checking delay caused by benami pre-grant oppositions. She defended the patent for Glaxo for their molecule Lapatinib before the Appellate Court in a revocation proceeding which was a seminal case in India for product patents. She led Pfizer before the Patent Appellate Court and the Bombay High court in got the court to lay down guidelines in relation to Benami oppositions.
She has been a lead in cases returning noteworthy judgements like Monsanto’s Supreme Court order, Ferid Allani case, Pioneer overseas Corporation, Novo Nordisk, Roche, Merck, Sterlite etc.
With over 30 years of dedicated practice in prosecution, litigation and opposition across industries from pharmaceuticals to life sciences, software, ICT, telecom, mechanical, electronics and biodiversity, Archana has earned an unparalleled reputation in the patent and in the larger IP sphere.
Speaking of Archana, IAM says, “Archana Shanker’s ability to advise on patent matters of near infinite variety sets her apart as one of the best-rounded private practitioners. She has a faculty for complex prosecution and litigation, and has cultivated strategic wisdom having handled many matters of first impression in India”.
Domestic and International clients trust her understanding of the key drivers of the industry and the science behind them. Business- minded, cost-conscious and a thought leader, Archana is ever-ready to take challenges head-on and shift paradigms.