Justice Prathiba M.Singh Becomes First Indian Judge Inducted Into Global IP Hall Of Fame

Justice Prathiba M. Singh of the Delhi High Court has made history as the first Indian judge to be inducted into the International Intellectual Property (IP) Hall of Fame. 

This prestigious recognition was conferred upon her at the IPBC Global 2026 event held in San Diego, California, on June 16. The honor, bestowed by the international publication IAM, acknowledges her significant contributions to shaping intellectual property jurisprudence in India and her efforts in modernizing the country’s IP framework.

Beyond her judicial role, the induction recognizes her broader work in strengthening intellectual property awareness and institutional capacity. Justice Singh currently holds the position of Chairperson of the Advisory Board of Judges at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). During her acceptance speech, she noted that the induction is a recognition of India’s growing leadership in the global IP space and a defining moment for the nation's innovation journey.

Justice Singh’s career began with her legal education at University Law College, Bangalore, followed by an LL.M. at the University of Cambridge as an ODASS scholar. Before her elevation to the bench, she was a leading IP lawyer and served as the Managing Partner of Singh and Singh. Her expertise was frequently sought by Parliamentary Committees regarding amendments to the Patents Act, the Copyright Act, and the Geographical Indications Act.

Notably, she was a member of the IPR Think Tank that drafted India’s first National IPR Policy, released in 2015. This policy aimed to boost domestic innovation and manufacturing under the “Make in India” initiative while streamlining IP administration and enforcement. Her influence on the field has been recognized globally for several years, with publications such as Managing IP naming her one of the “50 Most Influential People in IP” in 2021 and 2022.

In the realm of legal scholarship, Justice Singh authored a comprehensive two-volume commentary on Patent Law, which was launched in March 2024 by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The 2,600-page work draws from 500 legal decisions to explore key aspects of patentability and infringement, with a specific focus on Section 3(d) of the Patents Act. The publication also addresses contemporary challenges, including the impact of artificial intelligence on patent law.

Justice Singh has also contributed to the academic understanding of copyright law through her writing on the “Indian Journey” of copyright evolution. Her work details how Indian courts have curated copyright law to suit the country’s social, economic, and cultural context. She has particularly highlighted the shift in the test for originality from the “sweat of the brow” doctrine which rewarded mere labor and capital to a standard requiring the exercise of “skill and judgment,” as established by the Supreme Court in the Eastern Book Co. v. D.B. Modak case.

One of her most significant contributions to Indian jurisprudence is the development of innovative legal remedies to combat digital piracy. She pioneered the concept of “dynamic injunctions” to address the challenge of “rogue websites” that frequently change their URLs to evade court orders. This mechanism allows an injunction to dynamically apply to “mirror” or “redirect” websites without requiring the copyright owner to file a new lawsuit for each new version.

This concept was further expanded into “Dynamic+ injunctions,” which protect copyrighted works as soon as they are created. This prevents irreparable loss to authors and owners by ensuring that future shows or films are protected from being uploaded to rogue websites immediately upon their release. Her judgments have also addressed trademark issues, such as protecting well-known marks on e-commerce platforms and resolving deceptive similarities in commercial branding.

During the IP & Innovation Conclave 2024 in Bengaluru, Justice Singh referred to her hometown as India's “innovation capital” and the flag bearer of the nation's innovation ecosystem. She observed that India is making remarkable progress, with more than 1.5 lakh patent applications filed in the country within a single year. She also emphasized that the establishment of specialized Intellectual Property Divisions in various High Courts has made India a preferred jurisdiction for resolving complex IP disputes.