Ranjana Adhikari
Ranjana Adhikari is a Partner in the General Corporate practice group of the Firm specializing in technology, media and telecom (“TMT”). As an industry specialist, she has deep expertise in advising both international and domestic clients on a broad range of complex and nuanced TMT matters including regulatory issues, product reviews and multi-jurisdictional launches, market entry strategies, policy advocacy, structuring, data protection, cyber security breaches, IP and content-driven licensing deals and technology collaborations, outsourcing deals, website/app take-downs, defamation et al.
She has also been particularly advising several new-media/OTT clients, as well as broadcasters, social media platforms, news platforms, production houses and sports teams. This includes regulatory advice on information technology laws, various content laws (including advertisement laws) applicable to content providers, entry strategy for media companies, drafting and negotiations of content licensing agreements (both episodic and film), original film and episodic production deals, brand endorsement arrangements, music licensing strategy, sports endorsements and advisory on advertising laws. She stands out for her exceptional understanding of issues concerning convergent media and its intersection with technology along with her extensive and robust experience of working with traditional media businesses. One of the interesting areas which she handles for clients is helping them put in place self-regulation policies for content-intensive business models.
She is also well known for advising global and domestic gaming companies on poker, card games, casual games, video games, fantasy sports, etc. for several mandates.
Among her notable accolades, she has been recognized as a leading lawyer for Technology Media & Telecommunications by Chambers & Partners for India. She has also been recognized by Asian Legal Business as one of ‘ALB’s Top Female Lawyers’ in India in 2023 and as one of the ‘ALB’s Top TMT Lawyers’ in India in 2023 and 2022. She has also been consistently ranked as the ‘Next Generation Partner-TMT’ and ‘Recommended Lawyer’ by Legal 500 for the Asia Pacific region since 2022. Further, Who’s Who Legal has consistently ranked Ranjana as a ‘Recommended‘ practitioner since 2021 in their ‘Sports and Gaming Chapter: Gaming’. She has also been nominated for the ‘APAC Copyright Lawyer of the Year’ and ‘Media and Entertainment Lawyer of the Year’ for the APAC Women in Business Law Awards in 2023 and 2022. Additionally, she has been ranked as a ‘Notable Practitioner’ for Media and Entertainment by Asia Law for 2024 and 2023. Moreover, apart from being recognized as one of the ‘Top 20 Industry Influencers Transforming Gaming and Gambling Laws in Asia-Pacific’ by Business Today, she has also won the Lexology Client Choice Award 2022 for Gaming. She has also been recognized in the RSG Consulting India Reports and has won several other awards for her excellence in, and contribution to, gaming laws.
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Ranjana has also been recognized as a Global Market Leader by Chambers & Partners for Gaming Gambling for the Asia Pacific region, for several consecutive years now.
Ranjana has around 17 years of experience and has been a trusted advisor to a wide variety of clients over her career span including new-media/OTT platforms (e.g. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, etc.), online journals and publications (e.g. Springer Nature, National Geographic), social media platforms (e.g. Meta, LinkedIn, YouTube), online gaming companies (e.g. Dream 11, Mobile Premier League, Gameskraft, Krafton, listed overseas companies, esports providers and casino operators), game developers (e.g. Take 2 Interactive, Zynga, Reliance Games, Activision Blizzard), news aggregator platforms (like Daily Hunt), web3 and cryptocurrency platforms (e.g. IndiGG, OKX, Liminal) and broadcasting companies – TV (e.g. Sony Entertainment), film production houses (e.g. Warner Bros.), football clubs (e.g. Arsenal FC), and advertising (e.g. InMobi).
Select Experience Statement
- Amazon Prime Video: Complete advisory for their launch in India including negotiating more than 50 local and regional content licensing deals and a self-regulation policy for content.
- Spotify: Advised the client on a range of music related issues, including advisory in relation to their India entry and launch, legal implications of new product features, and handholding the client through finalizing contracts for podcasts, addressing music copyright society concerns for royalty payments.
- Netflix: Advisory on India launch; negotiating production and content deals for Netflix Originals as well as catalogue content; music rights issues for Netflix Originals and licensed content including negotiating artist contracts specifically with reference to rights management with copyright societies.
- Warner Music: Acted for the client at the pre-dispute stage with a well-known global artist concerning his exclusivity deals for recording and performance agreements. The engagement involved advisory to safeguard the client’s commercial interests on protecting the exclusivity for the artist’s future recordings.
- A leading global music company: Assisted the client with strategic internal business restructuring which involved its content and distribution verticals. The matter was highly confidential and involved intricate commercial and regulatory considerations.
- Music Choice: Assisted the client, a UK-based music service channel on their potential launch in India and in relation to contentious matters before the High Courts and copyright boards for royalties to copyright societies.
- Krafton Inc: Advised the South Korea based publisher of PUBG on its foray into the derivative content space in India.
- LinkedIn: The global online professional networking site, advising them on complex regulatory matters, including data protection and privacy, as well as evolving content moderation frameworks.
- SVF Entertainment: Assisted the client in negotiating a multi-film slate deal with Jio Studios and preparing multiple deal documents and film-wise separate agreements.
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- National Geographic: Advised the client on criminal law and civil law issues that may arise out of running an investigative journalism piece by their team on the issues of child trafficking in India.
- Flutter Group – PokerStars: On its launch and tie-up with India’s leading gaming conglomerate, the Sugal Damani Group.
- IndiGG: A web3 platform, on their global structuring, payment flows, engagements with gaming talent and platform users, content publishing deals with B2B partners and advising on asset transfer and funding deals.
- Dream11/Sporta Technologies: Advising the client regularly on their overall compliance requirements from a technology, gaming and media law perspective.
- A leading SVOD OTT platform in India: Advised the client on #MeToo related investigation in relation to a key member of a channel partner/production company.
- An India-headquartered global B2B software services provider: Provided the client extensive and end-to-end advice on a cybersecurity incident.
- Rario: Advised the client on a digital sports collectible platform in structuring their business relating to virtual digital assets and non-fungible token (NFT) offerings globally.
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Professional Memberships
- Bar Council of Maharashtra & Goa
Education
- ILS Pune, B.S.L. LLB (Hons.)
