Malavika T. Vikram

De Penning & De Penning has been named Copyright Law Firm of the Year in India at the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2025, recognising the strength of a copyright and enforcement practice led by Malavika T. Vikram, the firm's Practice Head for Trademark, Copyright and Litigation. Established in 1856, De Penning & De Penning is the oldest intellectual property law firm in India and has protected the creative and commercial output of clients for more than 165 years. Its copyright practice forms part of a broader intellectual property offering that spans patents, trademarks, designs and enforcement.

The firm operates from Chennai alongside offices in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, giving it the reach to advise creators, publishers, technology companies and brand owners across India. Its copyright work covers the protection, registration and commercialisation of creative and literary works, as well as the defence of those rights against infringement. Under Ms. Vikram's leadership, the litigation team handles pre-litigation investigation, discovery and enforcement strategy, culminating where necessary in infringement action before the courts.

Malavika T. Vikram joined De Penning & De Penning in 2002 and has become one of its most prominent practitioners. She began her career as a research scholar in the criminology department of the University of Strathclyde in Scotland before returning to India to practise before the Madras High Court, where she developed a focus on constitutional law, family law, company law and intellectual property. That grounding in courtroom advocacy informs the firm's assertive approach to copyright enforcement, which combines civil infringement action with criminal proceedings against counterfeiting on e-commerce platforms and in physical retail.

The firm's copyright practice benefits from the wider resources of a full-service intellectual property organisation, allowing it to address overlapping issues of trademark, design and unfair competition within a single co-ordinated strategy. Clients are guided through the complexities of ownership, licensing and assignment, and are supported in valuing and monetising their intellectual property assets. This integrated approach is particularly valuable for businesses operating across borders, where consistent protection and enforcement are essential to preserving brand and content value.

Copyright protection has taken on heightened importance in an era of digital distribution, where creative and commercial works are copied and disseminated with ease across online platforms. De Penning & De Penning's copyright practice reflects this reality, pairing registration and advisory services with a readiness to pursue infringers wherever they operate. Under Ms. Vikram's direction, the firm treats enforcement as an extension of protection, mapping out investigation and evidence-gathering before escalating to civil or criminal proceedings. This disciplined, strategic approach helps rights holders preserve the value of their content while sending a clear signal to would-be infringers, and it is supported by the firm's ability to address the trademark and design questions that so often arise alongside copyright disputes.

De Penning & De Penning is consistently recognised by leading legal directories, including The Legal 500 Asia Pacific and Chambers Asia Pacific, while Ms. Vikram herself has been acknowledged among influential women in intellectual property and recommended for prosecution and litigation work. The firm's ISO 27001 certification underlines its commitment to secure and disciplined handling of sensitive client matters. Its recognition as Copyright Law Firm of the Year in India at the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2025 reflects both the historical authority of the practice and the effectiveness of its contemporary enforcement work in one of the world's most dynamic markets for creative and digital content.