We plan to bring eChai across 100 cities in India. The next eChai Startup Demo Day is on 29 August in Bengaluru and Pune. The next after that is on 26 September, all in person, with 12 cities confirmed and 539 founders registered. See your city
A playbook

Protect your brand and IP

Trademark your name, fight counterfeits, and handle customer data right.

3 steps, 18 questions, laid out in the order you'll hit them

Each step is a topic with the real questions D2C founders ask; open whichever one you're stuck on for the answer and the resources on it.

  1. 1
    Trademark & brand IP

    Own your name before someone else does.

    Should I trademark my brand name before I even launch, or can it wait till I have traction? 4 → How do I check if my brand name is already taken before I fall in love with it? 4 → What trademark class do I actually file under for my D2C brand, just one, or more? 3 → How much does trademark registration actually cost and how long does it take in India? 3 → What's the difference between the ™ I'm already using and getting an actual registered ®? 3 → All 6 questions in Trademark & brand IP →
  2. 2
    Counterfeits & IP enforcement

    Stop fakes and hijackers on marketplaces and your store.

    How do I get my brand onto Amazon Brand Registry and Project Zero to fight counterfeits? 4 → What's Flipkart's equivalent, and how do I actually report a fake or unauthorised listing there? 3 → Someone's hijacked my own product listing and is undercutting my price, what do I do? 3 → Do I need a trademark before I can even start protecting my brand, and how do I register one in India? 3 → My brand is being sold as fake on Instagram and WhatsApp, not just on marketplaces, what do I do? 3 → All 6 questions in Counterfeits & IP enforcement →
  3. 3
    Data privacy & the DPDP Act

    Handle customer data legally under India's DPDP Act.

    Do I actually need to worry about DPDP as a small D2C brand, or is this a big-company problem? 3 → What exactly counts as valid consent under DPDP for my checkout and signup forms? 3 → What do I need to put in my privacy policy, and how do I actually draft one? 4 → What tools should I use to get DPDP-compliant without hiring a lawyer for every step? 3 → What actually happens to my brand if I don't comply, what are the real penalties? 3 → All 6 questions in Data privacy & the DPDP Act →
eChai Partner Brands