About
Dr Abhijeet Kumar, FHEA, is an Associate Professor of Law at Chanakya National Law University, Patna. His research examines intellectual property law amid technological transformation and questions of knowledge justice. His scholarship spans copyright, patents, trademarks, and the legal governance of intangible and cultural assets, with an increasing focus on artificial intelligence and evolving systems of knowledge production. He explores how legal regimes structure ownership, valuation, and control over cultural and informational resources, particularly indigenous, local, and traditional knowledge systems.
Dr Kumar completed his PhD at Queen Mary University of London as a recipient of the prestigious Herchel Smith Fellowship. He has previously taught at the University of Leicester and Queen Mary University of London. Before entering academia, he practised as an advocate and served as In-House Counsel at Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited. He also engages with international policy discussions on intellectual property, AI, and traditional knowledge governance, including WIPO processes and governmental consultations.
Approaching intellectual property law through critical doctrinal, socio-legal, and policy perspectives, Dr Kumar examines the legal and economic structures governing intellectual assets. This strand of his scholarship is reflected in his monograph A Complete Guide to Valuation of IP Assets (Thomson Reuters, 2020) and related work on auditing, managing, and monetising intangible property. He has also authored invited chapters and peer-reviewed articles published by internationally recognised publishers, including Oxford University Press, Wiley, Routledge, Sweet & Maxwell, and Edward Elgar. His research has been presented at international academic and policy forums.
Dr Kumar directed and produced the short documentary Indigenous Products and Practices: Adivasi Narratives of Survival and Change. The film was premiered, with funding support from ESRC UK, at the Phoenix Cinema and Arts Centre, Leicester, during the 2025 Festival of Social Science. The documentary has since been showcased at several universities, including Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), Brunel University, the University of Leicester, and the University of Sussex during SLSA 2026.
His current and developing research focuses on the intersections of intellectual property law, artificial intelligence, and knowledge production. He investigates how emerging technological infrastructures reshape authorship, ownership, and control over cultural and informational resources, and how intellectual property regimes respond to indigenous knowledge systems, intangible cultural heritage, and questions of epistemic justice. His ongoing work examines algorithmic governance, AI-driven extraction of cultural data, and the continuing influence of colonial legal frameworks on global knowledge economies.
