Interview: Isha Sharma | Founder at Trayambak & VIAdroit
Ms Isha Sharma (B.Tech, M.Tech, LL.B., PG Diploma in IPR) is the Founder & Director at Trayambak Overseas Pvt. Ltd. She is also a certified Patent Agent since 2013.
Ms Isha Sharma (B.Tech, M.Tech, LL.B., PG Diploma in IPR) is the Founder & Director at Trayambak Overseas Pvt. Ltd. She is also a certified Patent Agent since 2013. She has conducted various workshops and lectures on Intellectual Property at prestigious and well-known institutes such as IIT, Patna, Geeta Law College, Panipat, IIPTA, Delhi, NITIE, Mumbai and JIMS, Delhi. Many educational & other professional instructions have invited Isha Sharma as a Speaker at various conferences, seminars & webinars.
Interview: Isha Sharma
We recently got a chance to interview Isha Sharma. Here's the transcript of the interview with Isha Sharma.
Legal Bites: Ma'am, you had done B. Tech then M. Tech, what brings your interest towards intellectual property?
Isha Sharma: Yes, I did B.tech and M.tech first, and then I pursued law. Honestly, the interest began in college as we had IPR as a subject. It seemed to be a pretty interesting field as it had quite a unique implementation of the technology in the real world.
Legal Bites: Ma'am, after the PG diploma in IPR, you had to pursue an LLB degree, so did you have a pre-plan to do LLB after Diploma?
Isha Sharma: After Mtech in Biotechnology, I pursued a PG diploma in IPR To gain more knowledge and to be able to find a job in that field as it was quite unique at that point in time. After my PG diploma, I started working in the IPR field, and eventually, I realized that a legal degree would be needed for the filing and enforcement of certain forms of the IPR, such as trademarks and copyrights.
Legal Bites: Ma'am, can you share your experience in law school, like your academics, extra circular activities or the environment in Law School?
Isha Sharma: My law school experience was kind of limited as I was more involved with the world but then the law gives you a different perspective in life. And coming from a technology background, that was like having a sense of reality.
Legal Bites: Ma'am, you had also done LLM from Amity Law School, which is one of the most prestigious law colleges in our country, so when did you plan to do LLM, particularly in Business Law?
Isha Sharma: Honestly, LLM resulted out of covid; in the 2020 lockdown, I wanted to utilize my free time, and Amity offered virtual LLM at that point of time. So, starting from the interviews to the exams, everything was very well structured and helped me gain some extra input on business laws.
Legal Bites: Ma'am, you are Patent Agent, so can you tell us the procedure to become a registered patent agent in India? (If you cleared any exam) (5.1) Can you give more clarity on this examination, like the syllabus, the eligibility criteria, and what kind of approach one should have while appearing for this exam?
Isha Sharma: Patent Agent examination is not as tough as it seems, That's a professional examination that individuals must pass in order to become registered patent agents. The eligibility requirements include possessing a degree in science or engineering and being a citizen of India. The exam covers patent acts and drafting skills so, it is advisable to be well-versed in the patent act sections and rules along with the patent drafting practices.
Legal Bites: Ma'am, can you tell us about your journey from a start-up to Trayambak, an Intellectual property company, like what challenges you have faced and what type of experience you have gained during this journey?
Isha Sharma: My IPR journey started in 2012, I joined certain firms and companies and worked for about 4 to 5 years, and in 2016, I thought of going on my own. Trayambak IPR vertical was started in 2016, and the journey has been really beautiful. There were certain challenges, such as being a young female entrepreneur, I was sometimes wasn't taken seriously and other times, people sought undue advantages. But we all find our ways to deal with the system, and my path has been a roller coaster ride. Apart from constantly upgrading legal knowledge, you need really incredible networking and people skills to be able to succeed in life.
Legal Bites: Ma'am, you are also the founding member of VIAdroit, which is a law firm. So, can you tell us about the firm and how this firm started?
Isha Sharma: Yes, I founded VIAdroit in 2020 under the covid Impact. Covid actually made all of us think that all ways are possible to be able to expand. Initially, the plan was to expand Trayambak internationally, but that took a halt due to covid, so I came up with the idea of opening a full-service law firm under the partnership. Mr Vinayak Tyagi and Mr Ankit Pandey are my firm partners, and they specialize in criminal and civil&corporate practice, respectively.
Legal Bites: We know that you are very enthusiastic about spreading your knowledge about IPR. But lastly, by the medium of Legal Bites, what do you want to share with the Law students who want to make their career in Intellectual Property Rights?
Isha Sharma: By the platform of Legal Bites, I want to share that IPR is a techno-legal domain, so, for patents and designs, pre-litigation is majorly handled by technical experts and lawyers are engaged at the level of litigation and enforcement. But for trademarks and copyrights, law students can start from the very beginning of filings, prosecution, and further heading to litigations. So, choose your subdomains accordingly!
Legal Bites: Thank you so much!
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