Privacy Policy

Important: Vakil Help Desk is a facilitation and technology platform, not a law firm or legal practice. It does not independently provide or undertake legal services or filings. Legal services and filings are independently undertaken by appropriately qualified professionals — advocates, patent agents, Chartered Accountants, Company Secretaries and consultants — associated with the platform, governed by their respective professional bodies including the Bar Council of India.

1. Who We Are

Vakil Help Desk is a legal services and compliance facilitation platform operated by Jyoti Malhotra, based at Welldone Tech Park, Sohna Road, Gurugram, Haryana, India.

We facilitate the following categories of services through independent professionals in our network:

IPR & Business Services: Trademark, Copyright, Design, Patent registration, Plant Variety Protection, and IP Litigation — facilitated through our network of independent attorneys and agents registered with the Intellectual Property India (IPI) office.
Litigation & Disputes: Criminal defence, civil litigation, arbitration, motor accident claims, real estate disputes, and related matters — facilitated through independent litigation advocates.
Family Law: Divorce, maintenance, child custody, and other matrimonial matters — facilitated through independent family law advocates.
Corporate & Compliance: Company incorporation, GST registration and filing, ROC annual compliance, statutory and tax audits — facilitated through independent Chartered Accountants and Company Secretaries.
DPO-as-a-Service (DPOaaS): Data Protection Officer services, DPDPA compliance audits, consent management, privacy policy drafting, and data governance advisory — facilitated through qualified privacy professionals and our proprietary DPO platform.

2. What Personal Data We Collect

Data Type	Examples	How Collected
Identity	Name, date of birth, photograph	Provided by you
Contact	Email, phone, address	Provided by you
Business	Company name, GST number, brand name, logo	Provided by you
Government ID	PAN, Aadhaar (masked), passport (for international filings)	Provided by you
Payment	Transaction reference only — no card/bank details stored	Payment gateway
Usage	IP address, browser, pages visited	Automatically via cookies

We collect only what is necessary to facilitate your requested service. We do not collect sensitive personal data unless specifically required for a legal matter and with your explicit consent.

3. How We Use Your Data

To facilitate filing of IPR applications with the relevant government registries (IP India, Copyright Office)
To connect you with empanelled attorneys and IP professionals for your matter
To provide DPO-as-a-Service and operate our DPDPA compliance platform for your organisation
To send you case status updates, deadline reminders, and renewal notices
To issue GST-compliant invoices and process payments
To send marketing communications — only with your consent, and you can opt out at any time
To improve our platform and services through anonymised analytics

4. Legal Basis (DPDPA 2023)

Purpose	Legal Basis	Section
Facilitating IPR / DPO service delivery	Contractual necessity	§7(b)
GST invoicing & statutory compliance	Legal obligation	§7(b)
Case updates & reminders	Legitimate use	§7(a)
Marketing communications	Your consent (opt-in)	§6
Website analytics	Legitimate interest	§7(a)

5. Who We Share Data With

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only as necessary to facilitate your services:

Empanelled Attorneys & IP Agents: Qualified advocates and trademark/patent agents who handle your matter under confidentiality obligations
Government Registries: IP India, Copyright Office, Patent Office — as required for filing and prosecution
Payment Gateway: Razorpay (PCI-DSS compliant) for payment processing
Technology Partners: Cloud hosting and email providers (servers may be located outside India — per §16, DPDPA 2023)
Legal / Regulatory Authorities: Where required by law or court order

6. Data Retention

Data	Retention Period
IPR client & application records	10 years from matter closure
DPO platform & compliance records	As per client organisation's policy (min. 3 years)
GST invoices & financial records	8 years (statutory requirement)
Communication records	3 years
Website analytics	12 months
Marketing contact list	Until you unsubscribe

7. Your Rights (DPDPA 2023)

As a Data Principal under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you have the right to:

Access: Know what personal data we hold about you (§11)
Correction & Erasure: Request correction of inaccurate data or deletion, subject to legal retention obligations (§12)
Withdraw Consent: Opt out of marketing communications at any time (§6(4))
Grievance Redressal: Raise a complaint — we respond within 30 days (§13)
Nominate: Nominate someone to exercise your rights in case of death or incapacity (§14)

To exercise any right, email contact@vakilhelpdesk.com with subject "Data Rights Request".

8. Cookies

We use essential cookies (required for website function) and optional analytics cookies (Google Analytics). You can disable non-essential cookies via your browser settings without affecting our services.

9. Data Security

We implement SSL/TLS encryption, access controls, two-factor authentication for staff, regular security reviews, and audit logs. In the event of a data breach, we will notify affected parties within 72 hours as required by DPDPA 2023.

10. Children

Our services are not directed at persons under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child's data has been submitted, contact us immediately and we will delete it under §9, DPDPA 2023.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy as required by law or changes to our services. Material changes will be notified via email and displayed on this page. Continued use of our services constitutes acceptance.

Grievance Officer & Data Fiduciary

Name: Jyoti Malhotra

Designation: Founder, Vakil Help Desk

Email: contact@vakilhelpdesk.com

Phone: +91 87008 78858

Address: Welldone Tech Park, Sohna Road, Gurugram, Haryana, India

If not satisfied with our response, you may approach the Data Protection Board of India once constituted under §18, DPDPA 2023.