AS

Arul George Scaria

National Law School of India University (NLSIU), National Law University New Delhi, NALSAR University of Law, Mahatma Gandhi University, Centre for Innovation, IP and Competition

ORCID iD 0000-0001-5044-3107
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About

Dr. Arul George Scaria is a professor of law at National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, where he focuses on the intersection of law, technology, and innovation. Through his teaching and writing, he contributes extensively to the fields of intellectual property (IP), artificial intelligence (AI), data governance, and open science. Prior to his current role, he was an associate professor of law and co-director of the Centre for Innovation, Intellectual Property and Competition (CIIPC) at National Law University, Delhi.

Dr. Scaria has been affiliated with prestigious global programs, including as an affiliate faculty of the CopyrightX course offered under the auspices of Harvard Law School and Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, Harvard University, since 2014. The comparative copyright law course offered by him focuses extensively on how copyright interacts with emerging technologies such as AI. This course is open for professionals and students from across South Asia where the candidates are selected through a highly competitive selection process.

His academic background includes doctoral studies at International Max Planck Research School for Competition and Innovation (IMPRS-CI), an interdisciplinary programme offered by Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition (Munich) and Ludwig Maximilians Universität (Munich). His dissertation, an empirical legal study on copyright piracy in the Indian film industry, was awarded summa cum laude (‘with the highest distinction’) and was supervised by Prof. Josef Drexl, a globally recognised scholar in IP and competition law. His doctoral work argued for a deeper social engagement on the issue of copyright infringements, than purely legal approaches.

Following his doctoral research, Dr. Scaria undertook post-doctoral research at Catholic University of Louvain (UCL), Belgium, focusing on access to large-scale research data and contributed to several EU-funded projects in the area. He has also worked as a CSIR-NIF Fellow at National Innovation Foundation of India, where he contributed to legal and policy steps for protection of grassroots innovation and traditional knowledge.

Dr. Scaria has authored several notable publications, including two sole-authored books: Piracy in the Indian Film Industry: Copyright and Cultural Consonance (Cambridge University Press, 2014) and Ambush Marketing: Game within a Game (Oxford University Press, 2008). Many of his works have also been published in leading international journals. For facilitating more informed public debates in his areas of interest, he also contributes op-eds to newspapers such as the Hindu and the Indian Express. He has presented his research at global forums such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the European Commission (EC).

In addition to his academic work, Dr. Scaria also actively assists national and international institutions on legal and policy issues. He was the first academic to be appointed as an independent expert by the IP Division of the Delhi High Court, where he provided expert opinion on Section 52(1)(za) of the Copyright Act, 1957. He also led an UNESCO-funded project exploring the challenges and opportunities of open science in South Asia. Dr. Scaria has been involved in high-level policy advisory roles, such as co-chairing a thematic group on access to knowledge and resources, as part of the drafting of Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy of India 2020.

He is currently part of a 2 member committee constituted by the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court to draft the IPD rules for the Karnataka High Court. He is the co-PI of the Free and Open Source Software project, funded by Samagata Foundation. He is also a part of the project of the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, Munich, on Data Governance in Emerging Economies. Dr. Scaria also serves as a member of the academic steering committee for the Right to Research under International Copyright Law project at the American University Washington College of Law.

Employment

  • National Law School of India University (NLSIU) Professor of Law
    2024 - Present
  • National Law School of India University (NLSIU) Associate Professor
    2022 - 2024
  • National Law University New Delhi Associate Professor
    2020 - 2022
  • Centre for Innovation, IP and Competition Co-Director
    2016 - 2022
  • National Law University Delhi Assistant Professor of Law
    2014 - 2020
  • Catholic University of Louvain Post-doctoral Researcher
    2012 - 2014
  • Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition IMPRS-CI Scholarship Holder and Guest Researcher
    2008 - 2011
  • National Innovation Foundation, India CSIR-NIF Fellow
    2007 - 2008

Education

  • NALSAR University of Law LL.M. (IPR)
    2004 - 2006
  • Mahatma Gandhi University LL. B.
    1999 - 2004

Projects & Funding

Projects & funding information is unavailable.

Publications (36)