International Day of Women Judges: WIPO interviews Justice Prathiba Singh on what it means to be a judge and more

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), on the occasion of International Day of Women Judges celebrated last Thursday, paid tribute to the important work of women judges in the field of intellectual property rights (IPR). Among the judges featured from across the globe was Justice Prathiba Singh of the Delhi High Court. .Speaking to WIPO on what made her become a judge and enter public service, Justice Singh said that she practiced for 25 years in the area of corporate IP law, alongside some pro bono litigation. This allowed her to build expertise in IP. It was when she realized that law is a very vast field, that she felt the need to be in a position to give back to society and be of service. On beginning her journey at the Bench, Justice Singh admitted of her desire to "bring about important changes in people’s lives, as well as help to shape the systems in which we work". She also said that becoming a judge allowed her to grow exponentially - not just as a guardian of the law, but also as a person. "Some of my non-court work as a judge has involved working on various committees and contributing to judicial administration, such as the recent creation of an exclusive IP Division in the Delhi High Court, which receives around 500 fresh IP cases each year – the highest across the country. I am very proud to have recently been appointed as one of two specialist IP judges in this Division, together with another colleague and woman judge, Justice Jyoti Singh," she added. .Regarding her women role models and mentors, Justice Singh told WIPO that a number of women have inspired her - from her grandmother to judges in India. "My grandmother taught me self-confidence and how to be independent. Judges in India provide very inspiring examples. Justice Ruma Pal, who is a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India, was an extremely competent judge, including in corporate disputes, and advocates were always very happy to submit complex cases before her. So she proved wrong the old stereotype that women lawyers and judges were suited to non-corporate areas of law, such as family disputes. There was also Justice Leila Seth, who was the first woman judge on the Delhi High Court, and the first woman Chief Justice of a state High Court. Internationally, I looked to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the US Supreme Court as a role model, not only for how she judged, but also for how she conducted her life through to her older age.".On being asked about the best part of being a judge, Justice Singh said, "To be able to do justice and to solve people’s problems immediately, right then and there. This is a lot of responsibility, and it can be used to bring peace and harmony to people’s lives, whether in their families or in commercial disputes. The positive impact you can have as a judge makes the work so worthwhile.".Justice Singh was also asked about the idea or belief that sparked her interest in IP law, to which she said,"For me, there are two important dimensions to IP: first, how the focus of innovation is to solve problems for humanity, such as by creating vaccines during this pandemic. And second, that IP aims, while solving problems for humanity, to make those innovative products accessible to society. I have always done my best to advance both innovation and access to innovation in unison – to protect IP and make it more accessible.".Speaking about the challenges that come with deciding on matters of IP law, she said, "IP law is facing its biggest transformation due to the digital revolution. IP moves globally, and territorial boundaries are often broken in IP violations, which makes cases increasingly complex. There is also the overlap between IP law and competition law, which stand at two ends of a spectrum, and judges have the difficult task of applying the appropriate balance between the objectives of each.".As advice to women aspiring to pursue legal or judicial careers, Justice Singh emphasised on IP law being "an excellent area to practice in; it brings a lot of satisfaction and happiness!"Justice Singh also articulated that it is her wish to witness more women being represented on the Bench, regardless of their area of expertise."I see that women make excellent judges, and are able to balance the many different challenges of judging very well, and to mould positive outcomes for each case, in all areas of law. Within the judicial system, the way women will grow is to ensure that they are not limited to hearing only certain types of matters – they should gain experience in judging across the board, including technical IP cases," she concluded. .Other judges recognized by WIPO were - Judge Souad El Farhaoui (Judge and Director of Education, Higher Institute of Magistracy, Morocco) , Judge Agnieszka Golaszewska (Judge and Chief, IP Department, Regional Court of Warsaw, Poland) and Justice Nadia Kangaloo (Puisne Judge, High Court, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago)