Naik Naik & Co

Managing Partner: Ameet Naik
Number of partners: 7
Number of lawyers: 40
Languages: English, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi

Firm Overview:
Established in 2004, Mumbai-based Naik Naik & Co. is a leading full-service firm with around 50 highly skilled legal professionals who provide strategic and innovative legal solutions for clients. Primary areas of practice include litigation and arbitration, intellectual property rights, corporate and commercial advisory, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and banking and finance. The firm is constantly venturing into emerging laws in the fields of bankruptcy, real estate, corporate law and digital platforms. The firm’s expertise in these areas is complemented by industry sector knowledge, giving the firm the edge to advise its clients in true context of their respective industry.

Main Areas of Practice:

Dispute Resolution:
■ The firm advised Essar Group in regulatory compliances and litigation in the Port sector, litigation in Mauritius against a claim made by ArcelorMittal and litigation & arbitration in power sector.
■ Firm advised the Promoters of Dighi Port in the Insolvency Proceedings
■ Litigation advisory to Reliance Nippon AIF regarding its debt investments in various portfolio companies
■ The firm has successfully handled landmark cases such as MCX-SX, MCX and NSEL (USD 1B), Vedanta Group and Adarsh Society scam
■ High profile matrimonial dispute and connected civil and criminal proceedings
■ Succeeded in setting aside unreasonable demands levied by Statutory Authorities
■ Assisted one of the largest NBFCs in India on strategy and recovery proceedings
Key Clients: MCX-SX, MCX, NSEL, Vedanta Group, Future Group, Endemol, Percept, Prakash Jha Productions, Cinema Capital Venture Fund, Prime Focus, Producers Guild, IFTPC, Essar Group, Dighi Port, Reliance Nippon AIF.

International Commercial Arbitration:
■ Successfully represented Hardy Exploration & Production India Inc, against the Union of India, in an International Commercial Arbitration at Kuala Lumpur and proceedings arising therefrom before the Delhi High Court
■ Successfully advised a major private equity investment fund, in an international commercial arbitration, against one of the real estate companies based in Eastern India
Key Clients: Future Group, Walkwater Media, Viacom 18 Media, Indian Broadcasting Federation, Reliance, Percept, Hardy Oils, Aitreya Limited, SGX.

Technology, Media & Telecommunication:
■ Legal assistance to various production houses, television channels/broadcasters, studios (including Hollywood studios), digital media companies and content aggregators in relation to acquisition, production, distribution and exploitation of various films, television shows including all audio-video content
■Assisted in acquiring format licenses viz., 24, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Big Brother, Fear Factor and The Apprentice
■ Advising talent management agencies and film celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Anil Kapoor, Irfan Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha
■ Legal assistance provided in preparing agreement for certain recent films
■ Represented Cricket Association of Bihar against BCCI in alleged spot fixing and betting in IPL6
■ Represented Indian Broadcasting Federation in challenging the Copyright Amendment Act
■ Represented Phantom Films and Balaji Ltd. in their dispute against the Central Board of Film Certification on the film Udta Punjab
■ Represented AAAI, IBF and others in challenging levy of stamp duty on advertising agreements
■ Represented Viacom 18 in matter before TDSAT; against Ministry of I&B for prohibiting transmission of Comedy Central
■ Assisted in obtaining John Doe orders and acted for several clients in copyright litigations including several Bollywood films
■ Assisted producers before Competition Commission of India (CCI) in obtaining order against the cartel of film distributors; and handling matter against the federation of film workers before CCI
Key Clients: Warner Bros., BBCW Channels, Viacom 18, Star India, The Times Group – Junglee Pictures, KWAN Group, Reliance, Endemol, Plan C, Phantom Films, Sunshine Pictures, Indian Broadcasting Federation, Producers’ Guild, Prime Focus, Anil Kapoor Film Co Pvt Ltd, Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd, Eros, Matrix India Entertainment, Dharma Productions, Matchbox Pictures Private Limited, Chrome Pictures Media LLP, Kundalini Entertainment Private Limited (Arjun Rampal).

M&A:
■ Advised Adlabs in setting up its USD 250M theme park Adlabs Imagica
■ Assisted Prime Focus in USD 70M investment by Standard Chartered
■ Advised Abundantia Entertainment for USD 6M investment by the Ambit Group
Key Clients: Cinema Capital Venture Fund, Adlabs Entertainment, Vistaar Religare, JM Financial, SRS Orion, Runaya Metsource LLP, Eberspaecher Exhaust Technology International.

Corporate Commercial Transactions:
■ Successfully advised retail market leader, Future Group, in various proceedings, before different forums, for over a decade. Assisted Laxmi Organics in joint venture with Hindalco
■ Advised Kwan Entertainment in joint venture with CAIC, LLC and subsequent exit
■ Advised Kwan Entertainment on several collaborations in the talent management and celebrity management space
■ Assisted Twisted Entertainment and Universal Music in their joint venture
■ The firm was instrumental in advising one of the major telecom group, namely Reliance Com- munications Ltd. and Reliance Telecom Ltd., in relation to the composite scheme of arrangement inter alia with Aircel Limited
■ The firm is also instrumental in advising and representing Reliance Infratel Ltd. in the ongoing process of transfer of its Tower Business to Canadian company namely Brookfield Infrastructure Group Company
■ Assisted an asset reconstruction company on acquisition of a non-performing asset
Key Clients: Future Group, Kwan Group, Centrum, Casby Group, Prime Focus, Adlabs, Laxmi Organics, Reliance Telecom Ltd, Reliance Infratel Ltd., SRS Orion, Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management, Reliance Big Entertainment, Eros, Alpha Capital Advisors Private Limited, Vistaar Religare.

Banking & Finance:
■ Providing non-litigation, litigation and pre-litigation advisory services to one of the key non-banking financial institutions in India
Key Clients: Capital First Ltd., IDFC First Bank Ltd.

Real Estate & Retail:
■ Assisted Maker Builders for retail mall Maker Maxity
■ Assisted Prime Focus and Mittal Builders in obtaining various premises Pan India
■ Assist Indian and International cinema exhibitor chain Cine Grand
Key Clients: Nirav Modi, Hilton Developers, Maker Builders, Mittal Builders, Talati and Panthaky, Cine Grand, Rohit Shetty, Aarogya Bharati Health Parks Pvt Ltd.