Hardik Daga

Dr. Hardik Daga is an Assistant Professor at the School of Law, Mahindra University, with a specialized focus on international trade and investment law. His research lies at the intersection of international economic law, trade, investment, intellectual property, and sustainable development, with particular emphasis on WTO law, State Trading Enterprises, foreign investment screening, trade remedies, technology transfer, and the relationship between trade and environmental protection. He also engages with emerging questions concerning innovation, technology, and global economic governance.

He holds a Ph.D. from Jai Narayan Vyas University, Jodhpur, where his research examined the legal framework relating to State Trading Enterprises in the context of international trade practice, along with an LL.M. in International Trade and Investment Laws from National Law University, Jodhpur, and a B.B.A. (Hons.) LL.B. (Hons.) from National Law University Odisha. He has also qualified UGC-NET in Law.

Before joining Mahindra University, he served as an Assistant Professor at UPES and at IMS Unison University. He has also been associated with the Centre for Trade and Investment Law (CTIL) in India. His research has appeared in journals such as the Journal of World Intellectual Property, the Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice, Business Law Review, and the European Intellectual Property Review. He has participated in international academic forums, including the WIPO-WTO Colloquium at the University of Cape Town, the IP Scholars Africa Conference, the IP Researchers Europe Conference at the University of Geneva, and the IP & Innovation Researchers of Asia Conference in Vietnam.

• 2018–2022: Ph.D., Jai Narayan Vyas University, Jodhpur, India
  Thesis Title: Legal Framework Relating to State Trading Enterprises: A Study in the Context of International Trade Practice
• 2016 –2017: LL.M. in International Trade and Investment Laws, National Law University, Jodhpur, India. Dissertation Title: Trade in Audio-Visual Services: Role of World Trade Organization
• July 2018: UGC-NET (Law), University Grants Commission, India
• 2011 –2016: B.B.A. (Hons.) LL.B. (Hons.), National Law University, Odisha, India

Journal Articles

• Daga, H. and Choudhary, L., ‘Fossil Fuel Governance and the International Investment Treaties’, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 60, Issue 40, October 2025, Insight section. Available at: https://www.epw.in/journal/2025/40/insight/fossil-fuel-governance-and-international.html
• Deb, A. and Daga, H., ‘From Openness to Oversight: The Evolution of FDI Screening in India and the Role of Geopolitics’, Business Law Review, Kluwer Law International, Vol. 47, Issue 3, 2026.
• Daga, H., ‘Trade Remedies Remedying the Environment: A Shift in the Nature of Trade Remedies from Being Hurdles to Facilitators of Environment Protection’, in Recent Issues in Trade Remedies Under WTO Regime, Centre for Studies in International Trade and International Investment Laws, NLU Jabalpur, in collaboration with the Directorate General of Trade Remedies, edited volume, Vol. 1, 2023. ISBN: 9788197152962.
• Choudhary, L., Kaushik, H. and Daga, H., ‘Why AI Cannot Be an Inventor: A Post-Humanist Rejection of AI as Legal Inventor’, Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice, Oxford University Press, Vol. 20, Issue 11, pp. 732–743, November 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jiplp/jpaf063
• Choudhary, L. and Daga, H., ‘Aligning the Competition Commission of India and Sectoral Regulators’, Australian Journal of Asian Law, Australian Law Centre at Melbourne Law School, Vol. 26, No. 2, Article 08, pp. 123–137, 2025.
• Choudhary, L., Sharma, U.R. and Daga, H., ‘“Ruff” Justice: Analysing the Right to Feed Stray Dogs in Lieu of Constitutional Provisions and Judicial Precedents in India’, Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy, Taylor & Francis, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 92–102, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13880292.2025.2500867
• Choudhary, L., Daga, H. and Srivastava, C., ‘Catalyzing Circularity: Tackling Intellectual Property Barriers to Technology Transfer and Circular Solutions in Developing Economies’, The Journal of World Intellectual Property, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jwip.70006
• Daga, H., Srivastava, C. and Choudhary, L., ‘The Economics of Tacit Knowledge in Patent-Based Technology Transfer Agreements’, The Journal of World Intellectual Property, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jwip.70007
• Daga, H. and Choudhary, L., ‘Balancing the See-Saw of Morality and Law: An Approach to Analyse the Contours of Morality Exclusion of Patenting Under the Indian Patent Law’, The Journal of World Intellectual Property, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 112–129, February 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jwip.12351
• Choudhary, L. and Daga, H., ‘A TKDL-Inspired Documentation Approach to Improve Personality Rights Protection’, European Intellectual Property Review, Sweet & Maxwell, Vol. 48, No. 4, 2026.
• Choudhary, L. and Daga, H., ‘What Does Religion Have to Do with It: Exploring Non-Institutional Arguments for Effective Enforcement of IPR’, The Journal of World Intellectual Property, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 220–239, November 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jwip.12329
• Daga, H. and Choudhary, L., ‘Circular Economy: (Not So) Merry Go Round for Innovation and World Intellectual Property Regime’, Journal of Intellectual Property Rights, Vol. 29, No. 4, pp. 325–336, July 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.56042/jipr.v29i4.5686
• Choudhary, L. and Daga, H., ‘No Country for Self-Love: Tracing the Confluence of Sex Toys, Right to Sexual Health and Obscenity Standards in the Modern Indian Landscape’, Indian Journal of Health, Sexuality and Culture, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 51–58, June 2024. Available at: https://ijhsc.info/index.php/ijhsc/article/view/248
• Choudhary, L. and Daga, H., ‘Analysing the Animal Euthanasia Scenario in India in Light of the Constitutional Provisions’, Christ University Law Journal, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 87–117, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12728/culj.24.4
• Daga, H. and Choudhary, L., ‘Dichotomy Between Trade and Environment: An Up-Hill Road for WTO to Propel Sustainable Development’, CMR University Journal for Contemporary Legal Affairs, Vol. 4, Issue 2, pp. 84–113, 2022.
• Daga, H. and Choudhary, L., ‘Patent Waiver on COVID Vaccine: Access for All or Global Supply Crisis?’, Journal of Intellectual Property Rights, Vol. 27, No. 6, pp. 420–426, November 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.56042/jipr.v27i6.62868
• Daga, H., ‘Big Data and Health Care: Analyzing the Utility, Challenges and Legal Framework in Health Industry in India’, in Demystifying Big Data Analytics for Industries and Smart Societies (BDA 2022), CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 2023. ISBN: 9781003330875.

• 08/2026- Present – Assistant Professor, School of Law, Mahindra University
• 08/2023 – 07/2026: Assistant Professor (Senior Scale), School of Law, UPES, Dehradun, India
• 06/2023 – 07/2023: Associate, Centre for Trade and Investment Law (CTIL), India
• 08/2020 – 06/2022: Assistant Professor, IMS Unison University, Dehradun, India
• 08/2019 – 05/2020: Guest Faculty of Law, Jai Narayan Vyas University, Jodhpur, India

His research interests are international trade, private law, and emerging technologies. His work in international trade focuses particularly on free trade agreements (FTAs) and emerging forms of plurilateralism, with an emphasis on India’s evolving trade policy, negotiating positions, and role in the global trading system. A parallel strand of his research focuses on contract law through the lens of private law remedies in India. He is particularly interested in revisiting established contractual doctrines and examining their continued relevance in the context of disruptive technologies and changing commercial relationships. His past research experience includes work on State Trading Enterprises and WTO law, foreign investment screening and geopolitics, trade remedies, technology transfer, intellectual property, and the interface between trade and environmental protection.