Delhi High Court’s Justice Prathiba Singh to Chair WIPO’s Prestigious Advisory Board of Judges

In a landmark development for India’s role in global legal governance, Justice Prathiba M. Singh of the Delhi High Court has been appointed as the Chairperson of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Advisory Board of Judges. Her term is set for 2025–2027, making her the first Indian jurist to hold this influential position. The appointment is not merely a personal accolade but a significant recognition of the Indian judiciary's growing expertise and influence in the complex and rapidly evolving field of intellectual property (IP) law.

As Chair, Justice Singh will lead a distinguished panel of ten international judges, providing strategic guidance to WIPO's engagement with national and regional judiciaries worldwide. The announcement was met with celebratory remarks, with India’s United Nations Mission in Geneva calling it “a proud moment for India!” In a statement on X, the mission noted, “As chair, she leads a group of international judges, providing guidance and direction to WIPO’s work with judiciaries in the field of #IP (Intellectual Property)!”

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A Milestone for India in Global IP Governance

Justice Singh's appointment marks what one source called "a significant milestone for India’s representation in global intellectual property governance." For decades, IP discourse has often been dominated by perspectives from developed nations. Placing an Indian judge at the helm of WIPO's key judicial advisory body signals a shift, acknowledging the pivotal role that judiciaries in developing economies play in balancing innovation incentives with public interest.

This appointment underscores the increasing global recognition of India's robust and sophisticated IP jurisprudence. The Indian judiciary, particularly the Delhi High Court, has become a key forum for complex IP litigation, from pharmaceutical patent disputes to intricate copyright and trademark cases in the digital realm. Justice Singh’s leadership is expected to strengthen the exchange of jurisprudential insights between developed and developing countries, fostering a more inclusive and equitable global IP framework.

The WIPO Advisory Board of Judges operates under the WIPO Judicial Institute, a global center for judicial training and cooperation. The Board's primary function is to facilitate transnational judicial dialogue, develop best practices, and enhance the capacity of judges to handle complex IP cases. The members, who serve in their personal capacities, are drawn from diverse jurisdictions, ensuring a rich cross-pollination of legal traditions and experiences.

Joining Justice Singh on the board for the 2025-2027 term are judges from Panama, China, Kazakhstan, Egypt, France, Canada, Tanzania, the European Union (Luxembourg), and South Korea, reflecting the board's global composition.

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The Mandate: Tackling AI, Digital Rights, and Cross-Border Challenges

Justice Singh’s tenure comes at a critical juncture for intellectual property law. The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence, the complexities of data rights, and the challenges of cross-border enforcement demand innovative and harmonized judicial approaches. Her leadership is poised to guide the Board's focus on these cutting-edge issues.

Key priorities under her chairmanship are expected to include:

• Promoting Jurisprudence on AI and Digital IP: Fostering a global judicial dialogue on the IP implications of AI-generated works, data ownership, and digital content rights.
• Enhancing Judicial Collaboration: Encouraging cross-border judicial training and the exchange of case law to build a common understanding of international IP norms.
• Expanding Access to Legal Resources: Supporting the expansion of the WIPO Lex-Judgements Database, with a particular focus on including more decisions from developing countries to provide a more representative global repository of IP case law.
• Supporting Women in IP: Championing initiatives that support the role and advancement of women within the IP legal and judicial fields.

Her dual role as the co-chair of the World Health Organization (WHO) Working Group on Regulatory Considerations on AI in Health provides her with a unique, cross-disciplinary perspective that will be invaluable in navigating the intersection of technology, health, and intellectual property.

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A Distinguished Career in Intellectual Property Law

Justice Singh's elevation to this international role is built on a formidable career spanning over three decades as both a leading IP litigator and a trailblazing judge. Beginning her legal practice in 1991, she became one of India’s foremost IP lawyers, arguing landmark cases before the Supreme Court of India, the Delhi High Court, and various IP tribunals.

Her expertise was formally recognized in 2013 when she was designated as a Senior Advocate by the Delhi High Court, a distinction rarely conferred on IP practitioners at the time. Before her elevation to the bench, she also advised parliamentary committees on IP legislative reforms, contributing to the shaping of India's modern IP legal framework.

Appointed as a permanent judge of the Delhi High Court in 2017, she has authored several seminal judgments in patent, copyright, and trademark law. Her judicial philosophy is often noted for its pragmatic approach, meticulously balancing the rights of innovators with the broader public interest, particularly in disputes concerning access to medicines and digital content.

A key highlight of her judicial career was her role in establishing the first-ever Intellectual Property Division (IPD) at the Delhi High Court, for which she served as the inaugural Chairperson and Presiding Judge in 2021-2022. This institutional reform, aimed at streamlining and specializing IP adjudication, has been lauded as a significant step in enhancing the efficiency and expertise of IP litigation in India. She was instrumental in drafting the court's IPD Rules and the innovative Patent Suits Rules, 2022.

An alumna of University Law College, Bangalore, and the University of Cambridge (LL.M.), her academic and professional contributions have been widely recognized. In 2013, the "Prathiba M. Singh Scholarship" was established at Cambridge for LL.M. students. She was also named among the 50 most influential people in intellectual property globally by Managing IP for both 2021 and 2022, a testament to her global impact even before this appointment.

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Implications for the Legal Profession

For legal professionals in India and beyond, Justice Singh's appointment is a clear indicator of the direction of global IP law. It signals an increased focus on judicial capacity-building and the need for legal practitioners to be well-versed in international IP norms and emerging technological challenges.

Her leadership at WIPO will likely amplify the dialogue on harmonizing judicial standards for cross-border IP enforcement, a critical issue for multinational corporations and rights holders. Furthermore, the emphasis on AI and digital jurisprudence will necessitate that IP lawyers develop deeper technical literacy to effectively argue cases involving complex algorithms, data analytics, and digital platforms.

The appointment places India at the center of a vital global conversation on the future of intellectual property. As WIPO noted in its statement, the Advisory Board is instrumental in strengthening dialogue among judges worldwide. With Justice Prathiba M. Singh at its helm, that dialogue is set to become more inclusive, forward-looking, and attuned to the challenges and opportunities of the 21st-century innovation landscape.