World Trademark Review has named Vikrant Rana, Managing Partner of S.S. Rana & Co., a recommended individual for India in the WTR 1000 2024, its guide to the world’s leading trademark professionals. In the same edition, S.S. Rana & Co. is a recommended firm.
About the WTR 1000
World Trademark Review is a specialist publication on trademarks and brands as business assets. Its WTR 1000 focuses exclusively on trademark practice and identifies the leading trademark firms and individuals in jurisdictions around the world.
Who qualifies: Private practice trademark firms and practitioners are assessed in each jurisdiction on the quality of their work and their standing in the market.
How individuals are chosen: WTR’s researchers gather the views of trademark practitioners and their clients, and review submissions on the matters firms have handled, to identify the professionals who stand out.
The format: Firms and individuals are placed in tiers, from gold, silver and bronze to recommended, and ranked separately for prosecution and strategy and for enforcement and litigation.
What the ranking recognises
The full trademark lifecycle: Vikrant’s trademark practice covers clearance, prosecution and opposition through to enforcement and litigation, including anti-counterfeiting action.
Clients of every size: He advises Fortune 500 and multinational companies as well as grassroots innovators on contentious and non-contentious trademark matters.
Support for start-ups: As an IP facilitator under the Government of India’s Start-ups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) scheme, he has helped more than 200 start-ups and grassroots innovators protect and enforce their IP in India and abroad.
Protecting unregistered trademarks in India: passing off
Not every valuable brand is registered. Indian law still protects unregistered marks through the common law action for passing off, which Section 27(2) of the Trade Marks Act, 1999 expressly preserves.
What must be proved: The claimant must show goodwill or reputation in the mark among the relevant public, a misrepresentation by the defendant that is likely to deceive or confuse, and damage or likely damage to that goodwill.
Foreign brands and reputation: In Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha v. Prius Auto Industries (2017), the Supreme Court of India applied the territoriality principle: a foreign brand must show goodwill among consumers in India, not just a reputation abroad, to succeed in passing off.
Why registration still matters: Passing off depends on proving reputation, which takes time and evidence. A registered mark lets the owner sue for infringement without proving goodwill, so registration remains the stronger foundation, with passing off as a valuable fallback.
About Vikrant Rana
Vikrant Rana is the Managing Partner of S.S. Rana & Co., a full-service IP and corporate law firm founded in 1989 and headquartered in New Delhi. A graduate of the University of Delhi, he joined the firm in 1996.
Academia: He has been appointed Professor of Practice by Law College Dehradun, Uttaranchal University, to bridge the gap between industry and academia.
Speaking and writing: He is a regular speaker and guest faculty member at academic institutions and industry forums, and has written book chapters, journal articles and research papers.
Domain name disputes: He has served as an arbitrator with the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) on domain name disputes.
Professional bodies: He is a member of INTA, ECTA, AIPPI, MARQUES, FICPI, APAA, the IBA, IPBA, IPO and AIPLA.
Recognition in 2024
| Publication | Recognition | Edition |
| WTR 1000 | Vikrant Rana: Recommended individual | 2024 |
| WTR 1000 | S.S. Rana & Co.: Recommended firm | 2024 |
| IP STARS (Managing IP) | Vikrant Rana: Trademark Star | 2024 |
| Asia IP Experts | Vikrant Rana: IP Expert, India | 2024 |
| Leaders League | S.S. Rana & Co.: Recommended, India: Brands (Prosecution & Litigation), with Vikrant Rana named | 2024 |
| IBLJ A-List | Vikrant Rana: A-List Icon | 2024-25 |
See Vikrant’s WTR 1000 profile. Read about the firm’s WTR 1000 2024 recommendation and Vikrant’s 2024 recognitions as a Trademark Star, an Asia IP Expert and in the IBLJ A-List. Each recognition is recorded on our Awards page.
We congratulate Vikrant on this recognition and thank our clients, colleagues and peers in India and abroad for their continued trust.
Frequently Asked Questions
wtr-1000-vr-2024
Yes. World Trademark Review lists Vikrant Rana, Managing Partner of S.S. Rana & Co., as a recommended individual for India in the WTR 1000 2024.
The WTR 1000 is World Trademark Review’s annual guide to the world’s leading trademark firms and practitioners. It focuses exclusively on trademark practice and ranks individuals and firms separately for prosecution and strategy and for enforcement and litigation.
Yes. Section 27(2) of the Trade Marks Act, 1999 preserves the common law action for passing off, so the owner of an unregistered mark can sue another trader who passes off goods or services as theirs.
The claimant must show goodwill or reputation in the mark among the relevant public, a misrepresentation by the defendant likely to deceive or confuse, and damage or likely damage to the claimant’s goodwill.
Only if the reputation exists in India. In Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha v. Prius Auto Industries (2017), the Supreme Court of India applied the territoriality principle and held that a foreign brand must show goodwill among Indian consumers, not just a reputation abroad.
S.S. Rana & Co. is itself a recommended firm for India in the WTR 1000 2024.
Write to info@ssrana.com with a short description of your matter, and the firm will connect you with him.
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