Spice Route Legal > Mumbai, India > Firm Profile
Spice Route Legal Offices

No. 201, 2nd Floor, B Wing Pinnacle Corporate Park, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East
MUMBAI
400051
India
Spice Route Legal > The Legal 500 Rankings
India > Data protection Tier 1
Based in Bengaluru, Mathew Chacko, co-founder of Spice Route Legal, has decades of experience of data protection as part of his wider TMT expertise. In addition to assisting clients on the full range of data privacy/security, transfers and data compliance, it also advises on blockchain, Fintech services and products, and various uses of AI. Clients range from global tech companies, other corporates and financial services companies. ‘Stand out‘ senior associate Aadya Misra is in demand for advice on the implications of the Schrems-II decision regarding GDPR, managing security incidences/post breach security and the RBI’s localisation requirements.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Very business orientated, follows deadlines, answers are to the point.’
‘Aadya Misra was very approachable and delivered under tight deadlines.’
‘The data team at SRL is very well versed with the India data regime and their international exposure gives them the ability to take a view on its potential evolution. While working with them on a company wide data gap analysis it is evident that there are very few scenarios that they have not thought of or have not advised on. As in house counsel this sort of industry understanding is invaluable. And as always, SRL is able advise keeping in mind the challenges of a tech company and its unique business.’
‘Mathew and Aadya stand out as the team members who take point on data advisory and actioning. As the requirements of the company are cross jurisdictional, it is a significant differentiator that they are able to run India, have a preliminary view on international positions and effectively coordinate with international counsels. It’s excellent to be able to rely on Mathew and Aadya to run a project globally, at competitive rates but unquestionably high quality standards; both their own and the counsels they partner with.’
Key clients
Disney + Hotstar
IBBIC Pvt Ltd (formerly known as Blockchain India Consortium)
Airtel
Trade Desk
Urban Company
Adobe Inc.
Quintype
Milaap
Sahamati
VeriSign
Instamojo Inc.
Moët Hennessy
Miner’s Inc.
Impelsys Inc.
ICICI Bank
Strand Lifesciences
Cathay Pacific
Locus
Farmify
Super Unlimited
Talview
yBanq
Emptech
Work highlights
- Advising Fiserv, a fintech company in the Fortune 500, on various issues, including: the Reserve Bank of India’s data localisation requirements; the deployment of an employee monitoring software to gauge employee satisfaction; and the data implications of setting up employee-directed initiatives in the wake of India’s second wave COVID-19 crisis.
- Advising longstanding client ideaForge – India’s leading drone manufacturer – on complicated issues concerning supply of data, the use of AI/machine learning (ML) tools on biometric data, and data ownership in connection with the deployment of AI-powered drones to measure social distancing norms in public spaces in India after initial Covid-19 lockdown restrictions were eased in the summer of 2020.
- Assisting Instamojo with structuring its operations in light of the Payment Aggregator Guidelines by implementing suitable processes and procedures, particularly concerning its IT governance policy, cybersecurity policy, and compliance with the IT recommendation prescribed by the RBI.
India > Financial services regulatory Tier 2
Spice Route Legal is valued by clients as its ‘holistic approach is very reassuring in the evolving financial landscape‘. The firm’s client roster has been growing from a core of technology clients to include global and domestic banks, and non-banking, often new, financial services companies, involving digital lending or payment gateways. With ‘great insights on the industry‘, Mathew Chacko heads a smaller, focused team that includes the highly-rated senior associate Ankita Hariramani who is praised by clients for her ‘incomparable understanding of financial regulations‘. The team assists clients with navigating novel challenges regarding SEBI regulations, licencing and digital lending issues generally, often with cross-border elements.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Very few legal firms focus and specialize with data. While some firms “add” a one-two member team for data, Spice fully focuses on data. For the account aggregator ecosystem, we need a lot of clarifications related to regulatory matters. Spice has very good knowledge regarding regulators.’
‘I have worked with Mathew, Aadya, Ankita, Priyanka – very professional. Always ready to give time and give a very detailed response to our queries.’
‘The team has an excellent understanding of the market for financial technology services in India, and helps us structure our products in line with existing laws. Spice Route also has a strong relationship with the regulator, which helps us in pre-empting any regulatory challenges to our financial products that may arise, from the RBI. The team analyses new potential products and services from both legal and commercial perspectives and is an invaluable resource within the fintech space.’
‘Ankita Hariramani, the senior associate leading this team, has an incomparable understanding of financial regulations, the market for financial services, and the laws governing technology in India. Her interdisciplinary expertise extends to advising us on cutting edge fintech innovations in the financial services sector, and she is a delight to work with!’
‘The Spice Route team has a very hands-on approach and provides very practical advice that helps the client achieve its targets.’
‘Mathew Chacko – Always available for a chat, has great insights on the industry and is always equipped to take on challenges. Ankita Hariramani – You can always expect Ankita’s advice to be extremely reliable and practical, backed by thorough research and reasoning.’
‘The team combines a keen understanding of technology with the ability to to rely on its knowledge of the mind of the regulators – from the RBI to the securities regulator and the competition commission. Given that the fintech space is fairly nascent in India, it is excellent to be advised by a team that is able to grasp the nuances of a company’s money flow who can tie it back to the tech used and marry it with the regulator’s long term vision. This holistic approach is very reassuring in the evolving financial landscape.’
‘The two main players are Mathew and Ankita. Mathew brings to the table his expertise with technology regulation which is layered with his understanding of the financial sector. At the same time Ankita combines her financial sector strengths with the evolving tech advancements. Together they make a formidable team that can not only provide a birds eye view to a company’s processes but are also able to advise on the granular aspects of implementation.’
Key clients
IBBIC Pvt. Ltd. (formerly known as Blockchain India Consortium)
NoICICI Bank
Moneyview
Milaap Inc.
VeriSign
TradeLens
Fiserv
Fennia Insurance
Nexxo
OKCredit
Sahamati
Instamojo
Decentro
Bank Open
Cashfree
HDFC Bank
Yodlee Inc
Finarkein (Flux)
Cookiejar Technologies (FinVu)
YesZoop
Work highlights
- Advising IBBIC (a joint venture of 14 leading commercial banks in India, which control 95% of India’s trade finance business) on the implementation of an award-winning blockchain focused trade finance platform, including assistance with all banking regulations pertaining to trade finance
- Representing Cashfree in a multimillion-dollar enforcement action on the first-of-its-kind question of a payment gateway’s role in an online gambling racket, its compliance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002, and KYC obligations as a Payment Aggregator in regard to the racket.
- Advising SETU on its application to the RBI to be a consent broker for financial sector data, which was one of 7 NBFC-AA license applications the team handled in 2020.
India > TMT Tier 2
Underscored by the opening of a new dedicated tech and fintech office in Pune, Spice Route Legal has continued to cement its position as one of the fastest growing TMT practices in the market. In recent months, the team has acted for some of the world’s foremost tech companies on content licensing and acquisition mandates, enforcement actions, and trademark disputes. Bangalore-based practice head Mathew Chacko is noted for his wide-ranging experience in tech M&A, blockchain and data legislation. Ankita Hariramani leads on the full gamut of fintech work from the firm’s Pune office. Aadya Misra is recommended for global data privacy and regulatory advisory issues.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘We are pleased with the services provided by Aadya Misra and Mathew Chacko.’
‘Spice Route Legal has been our only and go-to legal adviser for all Asia Pacific deals since our first deal in the region. Flexible, timely, and effective.’
‘Spice Route Legal is small enough for me to receive the right amount of attention from the team and large enough that they can cover various aspects of my needs. They very quickly became my one-stop shop for all things legal in India. The team is a pleasure to work with.’
‘The team has also been very helpful in providing practical advise on telecoms regulations. The business-focused view SRL is able to provide is crisp, to the point and carries advice on how it can be implemented.’
‘TMT is SRL’s core strength, with brilliant levels of specialisation. In addition, they bring to the table excellence in related fields like IP, data and regulatory aspects surrounding that landscape. As an e-commerce client, our needs are varied and touch upon various legal regimes. The ability to have those nuances answered in depth at SRL makes them a uniquely placed one-stop shop. SRL has the deep talent pool to also advise on the related aspects specific to our business.’
‘Mathew and the TMT team at SRL are leading players in the account aggregator and open finance space in India. They know the latest happenings and represent many of the stakeholders.’
‘Aadya is an absolutely joy to work with on the technology and IP side. She is very professional and courteous but robust.’
Key clients
Microsoft
Facebook Inc.
Disney+ Hotstar
IBBIC Pvt. Ltd. (formerly known as Blockchain India Consortium)
ICICI Bank
Airtel
Adobe Inc.
AT&T / Warner Media (Xandr)
Quintype
Foundamental GmbH
IdeaForge
Impelsys Inc.
Instamojo Inc.
Locus
Milaap Inc.
ShopX
SETU
Srijan Technologies
Bank Open
Yodlee Inc.
VeriSign
Gamestream SAS
Machaao, Inc.
Urban Company
Telia
Freespee
Smartly.io
Fiserv
Talview
Work highlights
- Assisted Super Unlimited with the acquisition of Bharat Browser.
- Represented Cashfree in a multimillion-dollar enforcement action on the first-of-its-kind question of a payment gateway’s role in an online gambling racket.
- Assisted IBBIC (a joint venture of 14 leading commercial banks controlling 95% of India’s trade finance business) on incorporation, licensing and the implementation of a blockchain-focused trade finance platform.
India > Corporate and M&A Tier 3
With a strong sector approach that focuses on TMT, energy and life sciences, Spice Route Legal‘s practice handles the breath of corporate advisory, M&A and private equity work. Practice head Praveen Raju recently advised on numerous acquisitions in the renewable and alternative energy sectors. Highlights include corporate restructurings of major solar energy projects. Bangalore-based Mathew Chacko leads on hi-tech M&A for corporate sponsors and increasingly for multinational acquisitive entities.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Very approachable, excellent communication, practical advice.’
‘Spice Route Legal are a young, dynamic and innovative corporate boutique. They have a very commercial, client-centric model which is appreciated in the market and evidenced by their successful growth in recent years.’
‘Consistently responsive, commercial and pragmatic. Praveen Raju and Matthew Chacko are the key leaders.’
‘Spice Route Legal has been our only and go-to legal advisor for all Asia-Pacific deals since our first deal in the region in March 2019. We like the firm because the team brings well-rounded legal expertise and local empathy for various geographies including India, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia & Australia.’
Key clients
COVID India Initiative
Minority shareholders of CPS Oil and Gas Equipment
ESCO Lifesciences
Sequoia Capital
Foundamental GmbH
GritFirst
IBBIC Pvt. Ltd. (formerly known as Blockchain India Consortium)
Instamojo
Moneyview
Mozev (Mytrah Mobility)
Neogen Chemicals
SenseHawk Technologies Private Limited
SILRES Energy Solutions
Strand Lifesciences
SunEdison Infrastructure (client since 2018)
Test & Verification Solutions
Savex
Ideaforge
Season2 Ventures
Helix Investments
Esperor Onco Nutrition
Ohmium International
Iosynth
Zenfold Ventures LLP
Work highlights
- Advising SunEdison Infrastructure on various crucial matters, including a complex cross-border corporate restructuring, an analysis of 25 solar projects, and the financing and development of a 68MW solar energy farm.
- Assisting Savex with the purchase of a stake in Inflow Technologies a company in the enterprise tech distribution space, with the option of advancing to a future 100% acquisition through an earn-out structure.
- Assisting IBBIC (a joint venture of 14 leading commercial banks controlling 95% of India’s trade finance business) on an award-winning incorporation, licensing and implementation of a trade finance platform, powered by blockchain.
India > Projects and energy Tier 3
Core skills provided at Spice Route Legal’s alternative and new practice group include construction and project development, project finance, corporate transactions and regulatory assistance. Praveen Raju heads the practice with a focus on the solar, electric vehicles, hydrogens and alternative fuels industries.
Practice head(s):
Key clients
SunEdison Infrastructure (client since 2018)
CPS Oil and Gas Equipment
22Motors
Aerem Solutions
Gro Solar Energy RA
Lighthaus B.V.
Mytrah Mobility
Sistema Bio
SenseHawk Technologies Private Limited
South Lake One LLC
Fenice Investments
Ohmium International
MLR Auto
Work highlights
- Advising SunEdison Infrastructure on various crucial matters, including corporate restructuring, an analysis of 25 solar projects, and the finance and development of a 68MW solar energy farm.
- Advising minority shareholders of CPS Oil and Gas Equipment on the sale of its 30% shareholding in CPS Oil and Gas Equipment to an American company, SAZ Oilfield Equipment Inc.
- Advising Mozev (Mytrah Mobility) on the manufacture of a fleet of 48 electric vehicle buses for a first-of-its-kind green transport project.
Intellectual property Tier 4
Spice Route Legal is a relatively new firm with an initial focus on corporate and technology law but with an increasingly strong practice relating to IP transactions and disputes expertise. It also works with two external patent consultants (engineers). Its work typically relates to licensing, acquisitions and sponsorship deals and protecting brand names; it has undertaken high-profile cases concerning the misuse of IP assets online – acting for a number of leading social media platforms and technology corporates, work that includes disputes regarding adwords. It also has expertise in areas such as healthcare and advanced tech/fintech, for example the use of drones and AI. Mathew Chacko is the highly rated head of the practice.Practice head(s):
Key clients
Facebook Inc.
Adobe Inc.
Innerfit
OKCredit
Quintype (client for 3 years)
Sistema Bio
Srijan Technologies
Testing & Verification Solutions
xQ Capital
Mindtree
Disney
Milaap Inc. (client for 4 years)
Neogen Chemicals (client for 4 years)
IBBIC Pvt. Ltd. (formerly known as Blockchain India Consortium)
Miner’s Inc. (client for 3 years)
EID Parry
ASM Technologies
Aum Hum
Impelsys Inc. (client for 4 years)
Work highlights
- Representing Milaap Inc. in a landmark dispute with Google over trade mark infringement via Google Adwords.
- Acting for India-based Neogen Chemicals in a cross-border trade mark dispute with US-based Neogen Corporation over the ownership of the Neogen name.
- Navigating a complex advisory between Ad-tech and intellectual property, the team recently advised Disney+ Hotstar on the licensing and effective platform structuring for the use of Ad-tech tools.
India > Private equity and investment funds Tier 4
An expanding roster of investor and investee clients instructs Spice Route Legal on a high volume of private equity buyouts, fundraisings and venture capital deals. Through a team spearheaded by Praveen Raju, the firm completes deals across the sectors of energy, fintech, financial services and life sciences, while Mathew Chacko acts for start-ups and investors operating in the TMT sector. Berlin-based proptech and logistics investor is engaging the practice on a spate of Series A to Series C deals.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Mathew Chacko and team are exceptional. Will continue to go with them for our future rounds as well.’
‘The team brings well-rounded legal expertise and local empathy for various geographies including India, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia & Australia, while also being able to advise us on firms from the region that flip to alternative holding structures, for example in the United States. We also greatly appreciate the flexibility of the firm to be nimble in responding to bespoke requests in a timely and effective manner‘.
Key clients
Foundamental GmbH
SILRES Energy Solutions
Brigade Real Estate Accelerator Programme
Farrallon Capital
Fenice Investments
South Lake One LLC
SETU
Zenfold Ventures LLP
Ambee
OKCredit
Helix Investments
SenseHawk Inc.
Ronin Wines Private Limited
Instamojo
Moneyview
xQ Capital
SeasonTwo Ventures
Sequoia Capital India
Blue Lotus Capital
Java Capital
IdeaForge
Esco Biosciences
Work highlights
- Advising SILRES Energy Solutions (SunEdison Infrastructure) on receiving an investment of around USD25 million.
- Advising Foundamental GmbH on 14 investments across Asia, including its a Series C USD100 million club investment deal, alongside new co-investor, Tiger Global, into Hella Infra Market.
- Acting for prominent fintech start-up SETU on drafting, negotiating, and completing an investment from an investor club including Falcon Edge, LightSpeed Ventures, and Bharat Fund.
Spice Route Legal > Firm Profile
Spice Route Legal is a law firm that is recognised as a leader in the provision of border- agnostic legal services in India. The firm is often retained (i) to negotiate and close complicated multi-jurisdictional deals, (ii) to advise on issues at the intersection of technology, business, and law, (iii) to accurately evaluate and mitigate regulatory and legal risks; and (iv) to assist on complicated disputes.
With market-leading practices in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, technology, media and telecommunications, data and fintech, energy and renewables, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences, intellectual property and disputes, the firm regularly advises clients on some of the most complex cross border mandates that involve India.
For more details, please see www.spiceroutelegal.com.
Main practice areas
Corporate and M&A: The firm advises on a full spectrum of corporate transactions in today’s increasingly global marketplace. In addition to mainstream M&A, the firm has been involved in some of the most challenging private equity, venture capital, take privates, spin offs and corporate restructurings that involve India. Today, Spice Route Legal is the ‘go to’ firm for Indian companies with global M&A or investment ambitions and for non-Indian companies investing in India.
Private equity and venture capital: Our private equity and venture capital practice is widely applauded for our cutting-edge, cross-jurisdictional work involving investments in technology, fintech, big data, energy and healthcare. The firm has a 360-degree approach to fund structuring – advising PE funds on investments, deal structuring, tax and regulatory approvals, and IPOs and distressed acquisitions, and has advised some of the most prolific investors in the region.
Technology, media and telecommunications: Spice Route Legal has, over the last six years, established itself as India’s largest and most sophisticated TMT practice. The practice is hyperspecialised with lawyers focusing on Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Licensing, Ad-Tech, HR-Tech, Aviation Tech, E-commerce, SAAS, Ed-tech, Digital Media, Gaming, Sports, Social Media, Telecommunications, Cleantech and Proptech.
Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity: The firm’s data protection, privacy and cybersecurity team combines strong technical and legal credentials, an appreciation of the global nature of data and a network of the best technology, data and information lawyers in the world, to advise on increasingly global data, privacy and cybersecurity mandates. As South Asia’s largest data practice, the firm regularly advises on international data flows, cybersecurity and data risk, privacy concerns, disputes involving data, incident reporting, localisation strategies, employment and health data issues and structuring whistleblowing hotlines and ethics investigations.
Fintech and financial sector regulatory: Spice Route Legal regularly advises and assists most of the prominent names in the financial services sector in India. With the ability to structure products, identify and mitigate technology, intellectual property, data and financial sector regulatory risks, the team straddles multiple practice areas to seamlessly advise banks, financial institutions, startups, credit rating agencies, investors and ‘brick & mortar’ companies.
Intellectual property: Spice Route Legal’s expertise in advising on complex questions of IP is widely recognised, having advised on some of the most contentious disputes and assisted on some of the most complex transactions that involve intellectual property. In 2021, the firm has been at the forefront of the evolving contributory infringement jurisprudence in India, of the recognition of the doctrine of prosecution history estoppel, of some of the largest IP disposals and of defending multiple actions by patent trolls. The firm’s uniquely integrated IP team offers corporations the ability to rely on it for advice on the protection, monetisation, licensing and sale of IP and for disputes involving IP.
Energy, renewables and sustainability: Since formation, Spice Route Legal has been a trusted advisor to energy clients. The firm’s practice focuses on the future of energy, i.e. new and alternate sources of energy. The firm has worked with multiple companies within the clean and renewable energy space, and is well regarded as a market leader in alternative energy, renewables and sustainability.
In addition to complex restructuring and investment advisory for its Energy clients, the firm has also assisted clients with several project development and project finance mandates, in the solar, wind, and hydrogen fuel technology sub-sectors. A recent specialisation and interest in electric mobility mandates has broadened the firm’s expertise within the energy space to include this most exciting and nascent sector, as well.
Healthcare, pharmaceuticals and life sciences: As a hyper industry focused firm that combines the M&A, regulatory, data and IP expertise of its founders, lifesciences is a natural sector specialisation. Over the last few years, the practice has grown exponentially into a 360-degree life sciences and health-tech focused practice, encompassing a range of practice areas including corporate/M&A, regulatory, IP, commercial agreements, and data practices.
The firm’s portfolio of clients boasts of companies and their investors across the life sciences industry, including in the pharmaceuticals, biotech, veterinary, diagnostics, medical devices, and health-tech sectors. The practice comprises of a team of five lawyers primarily focusing on the corporate M&A and PE-VC transactions in the life sciences space and a team of six lawyers who focus on regulatory, data, technology, IP and commercial contracts.
Litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution: Our disputes practice is uniquely structured to function as a part of our industry practice groups. As such, the team tends to focus on disputes involves tech, media or telecom companies, corporate governance, shareholder disputes, intellectual property, financial services regulatory issues, competition law or data privacy.
Sports and entertainment: Spice Route Legal advises some of the world’s leading sportspeople, teams, agencies and regulatory bodies on a host of contentious and non-contentious matters. Relying on traditional strengths in licensing, governance, disputes, intellectual property and privacy, we offer a one-stop legal solution for all entities involved in sports.
International work: Spice Route Legal’s “border agnostic” model of providing seamless solutions for cross border legal issues by relying on a wide network of friends is acknowledged as a market first. Relying on this network, the firm has:
- Assisted India’s largest telecom conglomerate on a global transaction involving over 40 countries;
- Assisted India’s leading rice manufacturer with conducting a purchase of assets in 60 countries;
- Assisted a German investment fund focused in the Industrials, Chemicals and Logistics sector on investments in eight countries in the Asia-Pacific;
- Assisted a leading Indian mobility player with conducting a 23-country regulatory, technology and risk analysis;
- Assisted some of India’s leading technology companies with entering markets in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas;
- Assisted in designing and implementing global data protection and compliance strategies;
- Assisted in global intellectual property portfolio management;
- Led multiple cross border venture capital and private equity deals.
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Head of TMT, Data Protection and Privacy and Fintech | Mathew Chacko | mathew@spiceroutelegal.com | |
Head of Corporate, M&A and PE-VC, Energy, Renewables & Sustainability, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences | Praveen Raju | praveen@spiceroutelegal.com | |
Fintech & Financial Sector Regulatory | Ankita Hariramani | ankita.hariramani@spiceroutelegal.com | |
Data Protection, Privacy & Cybersecurity | Aadya Misra | aadya.misra@spiceroutelegal.com | |
Corporate, M&A and PE-VC | Renuka Abraham | renuka.abraham@spiceroutelegal.com | |
Corporate, M&A and PE-VC | Nikhil Joseph | nikhil.joseph@spiceroutelegal.com | |
Intellectual Property, and Dispute Resolution | Adithya Jayaraj | adithya.jayaraj@spiceroutelegal.com |
Languages
English Hindi Tamil Telugu Kannada Malayalam Spanish French Marathi Bengali GujaratiMemberships
International Bar Association IAPP ITechLawDiversity
Spice Route Legal is an equal opportunity employer, encouraging the growth of all stakeholders, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, religion, caste, race, region, or ethnicity.
As of December 2020, the firm comprises of (i) more people who identify themselves as female than any other gender, (ii) a not insignificant group of stakeholders who do not conform to traditional notions of hetero-normativity, (iii) people who identify as atheists, as well as believers in 7 distinct religions, and (iv) people from 12 different Indian states, spanning most corners of the country.
Legal Developments
A GUIDE TO THE DATA PROTECTION BILL, 2021
11th January 2022 India’s proposed data protection law has been a long time in the making. In 2018, a committee of experts constituted by the Indian government issued a first draft of a proposed law on data protection. In late 2019, a revised version of the draft, titled the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 (the “PDPB”), was introduced in the Indian Parliament. The PDPB was dogged by controversies, especially on exemptions that were afforded to government agencies, the treatment of anonymised data, data localisation requirements, and regulated cross-border transfers. For a deeper examination of the proposed law, the draft was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee that comprised of members of both Houses of the Parliament (“Committee”).WHAT ARE GREEN BONDS?
4th January 2022 A Green Bond is a fixed-income debt instrument, like a regular bond, which is specifically earmarked for financing ‘green’ projects such as renewable energy projects, clean transportation projects, water management projects etc. It encourages sustainability and has numerous goals - from climate change mitigation to energy efficiency, and the prevention of pollution etc.[1].Cybersecurity Laws in India: Is It Time for a Regime Change?
4th August 2021- Introduction
- The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (“IPC”),
- The Information Technology Act, 2000 (“IT Act”), and
- various sectoral regulations, discussed in detail below.
- The Information Technology Act, 2000
- Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures
- Offences
- Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)
- the targeted scanning or probing of critical networks or systems;
- a compromise of critical systems or information;
- the unauthorised access of information technology systems or data;
- the defacement of or intrusions into websites, and unauthorised changes to websites;
- malicious code attacks and attacks on servers;
- identity thefts, spoofing, and phishing attacks;
- the denial of service and distributed denial of service attacks;
- attacks on critical infrastructure, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, and wireless networks; and
- attacks on applications like e-governance and e-commerce.
- Protected Systems
- Intermediaries
- Sectoral Regulations
- Financial Services
- Health
- Securities Market
- Telecom Sector
- Insurance Sector
- Enforcement Trends Across Sectors
- Conclusion
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:MATHEW CHACKOMathew is the Head of the Technology, Media & Telecommunications practice group at Spice Route Legal, and is recognised as a leading Indian lawyer by several national and international directories. With close to two decades of experience, he advises on a variety of cross-border corporate and commercial transactions, including in relation to investments, fund-formation, technology laws, data privacy, intellectual property, commercial and regulatory compliance, tech law disputes, and risk mitigation strategy.AADYA MISRAAadya is a senior associate with the firm’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice group, with a special focus on, and extensive experience in, handling data protection, cybersecurity and privacy mandates. Recognised as a Rising Star by The Legal500 in 2020, Aadya regularly works with domestic and international market leaders in industries, ranging from financial services, and blockchain, to telecommunications, consumer retail, and emerging technologies.SAMYUKTA RAMASWAMY Samyukta is an associate with the firm’s Data Protection, Privacy and Cybersecurity practice, within the broader TMT Practice Group, with a focus on cloud services and cybersecurity mandates. She assists clients with structuring their data protection practices, procedures and policies to demonstrate compliance with applicable laws, and advises them on a range of issues including international data transfers, data breach response and management, and risk mitigation.
[1]https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-22/cyber-attack-on-air-india-led-to-data-leak-of-4-5-million-fliers[2]https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/dominos-pizza-data-breach-company-says-financial-information-safe-as-data-of-180-million-users-compromised-101621855567340.html[3] https://tech.hindustantimes.com/tech/news/india-saw-the-highest-number-of-ransomware-attacks-in-2021-report-71621331517413.html.[4] https://www.livemint.com/news/india/67-of-indian-organizations-paid-a-ransom-to-get-their-data-back-sophos-survey-11622526811992.html[5] Jagjit Singh v. The State of Punjab, Special Leave Petition Criminal No(s). 3583/2021.
FASTER ADOPTION AND MANUFACTURING OF (HYBRID &) ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN INDIA (FAME) – WHAT’S NEW
5th July 2021INTRODUCTION
The turn of the decade marks the beginning of a new era for the Indian automotive industry. With increasing pressure from environmental lobbyists for the reduction of carbon emissions, and the push for adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) by Central and State Governments, the Indian automobile industry is all set for a dynamic shift from Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) to Battery Operated Vehicles (BOVs). According to an independent study conducted by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), India’s EV market could be worth USD 206 billion by 2030.1 The Indian Government has taken various initiatives to ease the transition into the upcoming EV market. One such major initiative was the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME) scheme. In this article we have highlighted some important initiatives taken under India’s FAME-I and FAME-II policies and its recent amendments by the Government for the promotion of the EV industry in India.Data Protection, Privacy, and Cybersecurity: An Update
28th June 2021May 2021
The past few months have seen the data, privacy, and cybersecurity space in India bustling with activity. While a final draft of the much-awaited data protection bill remains to be seen, there have nonetheless been significant developments initiated by various sectoral regulators.- Data protection
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Financial services regulatory
- TMT