Justice Prathiba Singh of the Delhi High Court has been appointed Chairman of the WIPO Advisory Board of Judges for 2025–2027, marking a historic milestone for India in global intellectual property governance and judicial cooperation.
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NEW DELHI: Justice Prathiba M. Singh of the Delhi High Court has been appointed Chair of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Advisory Board of Judges for the 2025–2027 term. This appointment highlights India’s growing presence in shaping global IP discourse.
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The WIPO Advisory Board of Judges advises the organization on judicial engagement, training, and global capacity-building initiatives. Comprising judges from around the world, the Board serves as a platform for sharing insights, promoting best practices, and facilitating transnational judicial dialogue. Justice Singh will lead this ten-member group, which includes judges from countries such as China, Canada, France, and Panama, among others.
Before her judicial appointment, Justice Singh was a prominent IP lawyer, appearing before the Supreme Court of India, the Delhi High Court, and specialized IP tribunals. She became a permanent judge of the Delhi High Court in 2017 and has authored significant judgments in patent enforcement, copyright, and trademark disputes.
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She also led the first Intellectual Property Division at the Delhi High Court in 2021–22, a pioneering initiative designed to streamline IP adjudication in India. Her work has consistently balanced the rights of innovators with public interest concerns, especially in areas like pharmaceuticals, design protection, and digital content.
An alumna of the University Law College, Bengaluru, and the University of Cambridge, Justice Singh has received international recognition for her contributions to IP law. Cambridge even instituted a scholarship in her name to encourage excellence in legal studies. She has been ranked among the 50 most influential figures globally in IP for two consecutive years.
As Chair, Justice Singh will guide discussions on global judicial cooperation, oversee strategic inputs for judicial training programs, and help shape frameworks to address emerging IP challenges, including AI, data rights, and cross-border enforcement. Her leadership promises to strengthen collaboration between courts worldwide and foster a shared understanding of international IP standards.
For India, this appointment highlights the country’s growing expertise in complex areas of IP law and its active engagement in multilateral governance frameworks. The Permanent Mission of India to the UN in Geneva described it as “a proud moment for India,” emphasizing its role in shaping equitable and effective global IP policies.
