General Counsel | GE Vernova
Jeegesh Maroli
General Counsel | GE Vernova
Career Biography
Jay Maroli (Jeegesh) is a seasoned technology and intellectual property lawyer with wide-ranging experience, having worked both in private practice for multinational corporations and as an in-house counsel at organisations such as Flipkart, Amazon, GE Aerospace and GE Vernova. His expertise spans technology law, data privacy, e-commerce, aviation, renewable energy and intellectual property. Jay played a key role in the launch of India’s first full-fledged e-commerce and OTT platforms and has contributed to the growth of early-stage fintech companies. A recognised speaker at prestigious forums, he has extensive experience in aerospace technologies, IP transactions, additive manufacturing, defence transactions and joint IP development. He also serves as the Data Privacy Lead for both GE Aerospace and GE Vernova. An avid aerospace technology enthusiast, Jay has a strong interest in AI, data privacy and sustainable energy, and remains committed to staying at the forefront of legal developments in the technology and IP landscape.
Have you had any experiences during your career as a lawyer that stand out as particularly unique or interesting?
I represented a previous employer utilising Google’s advertising platform (SEM) in Bharat Matrimony v. Google before the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
The issue addressed was the abuse of dominant position and anti-competitive practices, focusing on Google’s conduct in the digital advertising sector, which disadvantaged competitors such as Bharat Matrimony by inorganically promoting its own services and paid subscribers on the search engine. Google defended its practices as being aimed at providing the best user experience, while claiming transparency and fairness.
The CCI conducted an investigation and found Google guilty of abusing its dominant position. This matter highlighted the crucial role of a lawyer with a technological bent of mind in navigating complex technical issues and aligning them with existing legal frameworks. It also demonstrated how a smaller entity, with a strong risk appetite and deeper insights, can successfully challenge dominant market players.
What is a cause, business or otherwise, that you are passionate about? Why is this?
The superiority of creativity in music often clashes with the financial power of large corporations, especially regarding copyright abuse. Artists like George Michael (Panayiotou and Others v. Sony Music Entertainment) have fought against restrictive contracts that limit creative freedom and financial rewards. In the Indian music industry, artists face similar exploitation. The debate over “reversionary rights of composers” highlights the imbalance between artists’ creative contributions and record labels’ prolonged financial control. This precedent empowers artists to reclaim their works, affirming the intrinsic value of creativity over financial dominance. The legal framework governing music compositions grants the Creators a temporary exclusive right to encourage further innovation. While this “monopoly” is a limited legal construct, it is an absolute “divine” (figuratively) right that cannot be restricted by any legal framework.
