What is Technology Law?
Technology law is the set of legal rules that apply when a business builds, sells or uses technology. It covers the personal data the business collects, the software it owns or licenses, the contracts it signs with customers and vendors, and the platforms and AI tools it runs.
India has no single Act called technology law. Which laws matter depends on what the product does, what data it handles and who uses it. This page explains the basics in plain language.
Several laws apply at the same time
- Information Technology Act, 2000: Electronic records and signatures, cyber offences, reasonable security practices, the duties of platforms that host user content, and CERT-In's rules on reporting cyber incidents.
- Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and DPDP Rules, 2025: How organisations collect, use, share, store and delete personal data, and the rights of the people the data belongs to.
- Copyright Act, 1957 and Patents Act, 1970: Who owns code, content, designs and inventions, and how they can be licensed to others.
- Indian Contract Act, 1872: The agreements between a business and its customers, vendors, employees and partners.
- Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and E-Commerce Rules, 2020: What online sellers and marketplaces owe consumers, including disclosures, refunds and grievance handling.
- Sectoral regulations: Additional rules from regulators such as the RBI for payments and fintech, and the rules that apply in health, insurance and telecom.
What it looks like in practice
Most businesses meet technology law through ordinary decisions. A few examples:
An app asks for a phone number
It is collecting personal data, so the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 applies. The business must explain why it needs the number, get consent where required, keep it secure and delete it when it is no longer needed. The Act's main obligations apply from 13 May 2027.
Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023
A website lets users post reviews or listings
The website is hosting other people's content. Under the IT Act, 2000 and the Intermediary Guidelines, it must publish its rules, appoint a grievance officer and act on complaints within set timelines to keep its legal protection.
IT Act, 2000 and Intermediary Guidelines
A contractor writes your software
Under Indian copyright law, an outside contractor owns the code they write unless there is a written assignment to your company. Investors and acquirers check this during due diligence.
Copyright Act, 1957
A SaaS company promises 99.9% uptime
That promise is a contractual commitment. The customer agreement decides what the customer gets if the service goes down, and how much the company can be held liable for.
Indian Contract Act, 1872
Customer data is stored on a server abroad
Using an overseas cloud region or a foreign support team moves data out of India. This is generally permitted, but some sectors such as payments have storage rules, and the contracts need to cover it.
DPDP Act, 2023 and sector rules
A team starts using an AI tool
The business needs to check what the tool's terms allow, whether it has permission to put customer or employee data into it, and who is responsible if the output is wrong.
Contract terms and DPDP Act, 2023
Who needs a technology lawyer?
Any business that has a website or app, collects customer information, sells software or online services, relies on cloud vendors, or uses AI tools. That includes startups building a first product and established companies in sectors like retail, manufacturing, healthcare and finance that are adopting technology.
Not every matter is a programme of work. A business may only need its website terms of use updated, a privacy policy revised for the DPDP Act, an NDA drafted, or one vendor contract reviewed before signing.