Pranit Prasad Kulkarni
2020-2021
B.E. (University of Mumbai), LL.B. (Hons. in Intellectual Property Law), Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Pranit is an engineer-turned-lawyer with a strong inclination to practice at the intersection of law and technology. He completed his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Mumbai, where he was awarded the Tata Education Trust scholarship for academic and co-curricular excellence. There he was one of the founding members of a collegiate team which builds all-terrain vehicles to participate in national off-roading championships. Pranit later did his LL.B. with honors in Intellectual Property law at IIT Kharagpur, graduating at the top of his cohort. At law school, he assisted his professors on a project dealing with ‘Opensource licensing’ for a transnational electronic corporation. Pranit had a pre-placement offer from Khaitan& Co. in their IP team, which he eventually had to forego to pursue his LL.M. at Cambridge University. Having completed his LL.M. at Cambridge, he joined the chambers of Dr. Abhinav Chandrachud at the Bombay High Court and now practices as an independent arguing counsel in IP, Criminal and Commercial laws.
Message:
My experience at Cambridge would have been significantly different if not for the Prathiba Singh scholarship. As someone passionate about pursuing litigation, the scholarship in fact bought me those years which I would have otherwise spent pursuing opportunities solely for repaying off my debts. Indeed, this scholarship transgresses well beyond Cambridge. I thank Justice Prathiba Singh and Dr. Nikhil Tandon for putting their faith in me amongst other equally competent candidates. I also thank Mr. Maninder Singh, the Sardar Manmohan Singh Trust, Cambridge Trust, Faculty of Law at Cambridge, and my alma mater Wolfson College for their direct and indirect support. Although flying across continents during the COVID-19 pandemic was a prospect marred by serious introspections, I am glad to have taken that leap. Cambridge, despite the prevailing circumstances, felt a welcoming place thanks to the tremendous efforts of the University, the Law Faculty and the colleges. It was a privilege to share my classes with some of the brightest legal minds from across the globe and learn under the tutelage of the very people whose books guided me during my undergrad days. I was delighted when my research on treatment of unpublished Orphan works under Indian Copyright law was integrated by Dr. Henning Grosse-Ruse Khan in his paper’s curriculum and was overwhelmed while presenting it before a Cambridge classroom. Moreover, I also got to assist Professor Bently on the upcoming edition of his Intellectual Property law textbook. Working closely with him not only lent me a window to the process of writing a legal commentary, but also helped me refine my understanding of IP law in a global context. But of course, Cambridge was way beyond the confines of the classroom. As an aficionado of history, I enjoyed walking through the historic streets of Cambridge and exploring its colleges and their links with India. Besides, the Cambridge University Library was a treasure trove for fetching original copies of centuries-old books and particularly those which were banned in colonial India. I also wanted to try a new sport at Cambridge and eventually got to be a part of the Wolfson College rowing team in the annual Regatta. In hindsight, although the pandemic year at Cambridge looked conspicuously different, I am glad to have soaked in whatever the University had to offer and forge lifelong bonds with some truly amazing people across the world. I hope to use these takeaways in my professional journey.
