Privacy Policy

📅 Last updated: 1 May 2025

1. Introduction

Nikhil Soni & Co. ("Firm", "we", "us" or "our") is an Intellectual Property law firm based in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. We are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of all personal information entrusted to us by visitors to our website and clients who engage our legal services.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, with whom we share it and what rights you have in relation to it. By using our website at nikhilsoni.com or by engaging our legal services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Policy.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal information:

• Contact information: Name, email address, phone number and postal address provided when you contact us or fill in an enquiry form.
• Communication data: Messages, emails and WhatsApp communications you send us, including their content and metadata.
• Matter-specific information: Information relating to your IP matter — trade names, inventions, creative works, business details — provided when you instruct us as a client.
• Usage data: IP address, browser type, pages visited, time spent and referring URLs, collected automatically when you use our website.
• Device data: Device type, operating system and browser version for website analytics purposes.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 18 without parental consent.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To respond to your enquiries and provide you with a free initial consultation.
• To provide and manage the legal services you have engaged us for.
• To communicate with you about the progress of your IP matter.
• To comply with our professional obligations as advocates under the Advocates Act, 1961 and Bar Council rules.
• To improve the content and functionality of our website.
• To comply with applicable laws, regulations and court orders.
• To send you relevant updates on IP law changes that may affect your matters, where you have not opted out of such communications.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal information on the following legal bases under applicable Indian data protection law:

• Contractual necessity: Processing required to deliver the legal services you have engaged us for.
• Legitimate interests: Processing necessary to operate and improve our website and business, provided it does not override your rights.
• Legal obligation: Processing required to comply with our obligations as law professionals.
• Consent: Where you have provided explicit consent for a specific purpose, such as receiving newsletters.

5. Sharing of Information

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information to any third party. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Regulatory filings: With the Trade Marks Registry, Patent Office, Copyright Office or other statutory bodies as required to process your IP application.
• Professional associates: With co-advocates, correspondents or agents in other cities where your matter requires their involvement, subject to confidentiality obligations.
• Service providers: With trusted third-party service providers (such as cloud storage or communication tools) who process data only on our instructions and are bound by confidentiality.
• Legal requirement: Where disclosure is required by law, court order or request from a competent authority.

6. Attorney–Client Confidentiality

All information shared with us in the context of a legal matter is additionally protected by attorney–client privilege and the professional rules of the Bar Council of India. We treat all client communications and matter-specific information as strictly confidential and do not disclose them except as required to deliver your legal services or as compelled by law.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Policy, including to satisfy any legal, accounting or professional obligation. As a general rule:

• Active client matter files are retained for the duration of the matter plus 7 years after closure.
• General enquiry data (where no matter is opened) is retained for 12 months.
• Website usage logs are retained for up to 12 months.

8. Data Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously. We use appropriate technical and organisational measures — including encrypted communications, access controls and secure file storage — to protect your data from unauthorised access, loss or disclosure. However, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Cookies and Tracking

Our website may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience and collect usage analytics. These may include:

• Essential cookies: Required for basic website functionality.
• Analytics cookies: Used to understand how visitors interact with our website (e.g., Google Analytics).

You may disable cookies through your browser settings, though this may affect some website functionality. We do not use cookies for targeted advertising.

10. Your Rights

Subject to applicable Indian law, you have the following rights in relation to your personal information:

• The right to access a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• The right to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• The right to request deletion of your data, where we have no overriding legal obligation to retain it.
• The right to withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent.
• The right to object to processing for legitimate interests purposes.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at nikhil@nikhilsoni.com. We will respond within 30 days.

11. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically. Continued use of our website after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us:

• Email: nikhil@nikhilsoni.com
• WhatsApp: +91 98280 29691
• Address: Nikhil Soni & Co., Jaipur, Rajasthan — 302001, India