Delhi High Court
Delhi High Court Declares GSK's Calpol A Well-Known Trademark For Pharma Products
Case Title: Glaxosmithkline Pharmaceuticals Limited v. Walter Healthcare Private Limited & Anr.
Case Number: CS(COMM) 403/2025
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC(DEL) 505
The Delhi High Court has declared GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals' Calpol a well-known trademark for medicinal and pharmaceutical products under the Trade Marks Act. The ruling came in a suit against Walter Healthcare Private Limited, which had marketed pharmaceutical products under the mark 'Walpol', a near-identical mark differing from Calpol only in the replacement of the first letter.
Delhi High Court Orders Takedown Of Pirated Copies Of Sanjay Dutt-Starrer Aakhri Sawal
Case Title: Nikhil Nanda Motion Pictures LLP v. Google LLC & Ors.
Case Number: CS(COMM) 518/2026
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC(DEL) 507
A day after its theatrical release, the Delhi High Court protected the Sanjay Dutt-starrer Aakhri Sawal from online piracy, directing Google and Telegram to take down infringing content within 72 hours and granting a dynamic+ injunction to tackle newly discovered infringing links during the pendency of the suit. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela passed the ex parte ad interim order on May 16, 2026, on a suit filed by Nikhil Nanda Motion Pictures LLP, the film's production house, after it alleged that pirated copies and infringing content were circulating across YouTube channels, Telegram groups, and file-sharing platforms including TeraBox and Internet Archive, while promotional material such as posters, teasers, and trailers had also been used without authorisation even before the film's release.
Case Title: Ivy Entertainment Private Limited v. Rahul Singh & Ors.
Case Number: CS(COMM) 510/2026
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC(DEL) 508
The Delhi High Court has granted temporary relief to Ivy Entertainment Private Limited in its copyright suit over the song Bachpan Ka Pyar and its hook line “jaane meri janeman bachpan ka pyar bhool nahi jaana re”. The court restrained certain YouTube channel operators and unidentified infringers from using it without authorisation, and directed three named channel operators to disclose revenue earned from exploiting the song.
Delhi High Court Sets Aside Royalty Order Against DVD Makers Over Philips' DVD Decoding Patent
Case Title: KK Bansal v. Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV
Case Number: RFA(OS)(COMM) 17/2018, CM APPL. 31483/2018, CM APPL. 26137/2023, CM APPL. 38867/2023, CM APPL. 38868/2023 & CM APPL. 66350/2024
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC(DEL) 509
The Delhi High Court has set aside a 2018 decree that had directed two DVD player makers to pay royalty to Dutch electronics company Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV for alleged infringement of its DVD decoding technology patent while also quashing punitive damages awarded against one of them. A Division Bench of Justice C. Hari Shankar and Justice Om Prakash Shukla allowed appeals by K.K. Bansal of Bhagirathi Electronics and his son Rajesh Bansal of Mangalam Technology, holding that Philips had failed to establish infringement.
Case Title: JFE Steel Corporation vs Assistant Controller of Patents and Designs
Case Number: C.A.(COMM.IPD-PAT) 483/2022
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC (DEL) 493
The Delhi High Court has set aside a patent rejection order passed against JFE Steel Corporation. It held that the Controller of Patents should ordinarily not reject a patent application on a single technical ground while leaving other objections undecided, as such an approach could unfairly consume the limited 20-year patent term through repeated remands and appeals. A bench of Justice Tushar Rao Gedela observed that patent applications must be considered as a whole. It said the Controller ought to adjudicate on all objections raised in a hearing notice, including novelty and inventive step, rather than rejecting applications solely on preliminary or technical grounds.
Case Title: Ravinder Singh v. Regoshin Healthcare Pvt Ltd & Ors.
Case Number: CS(COMM) 383/2025
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC(DEL) 511
The Delhi High Court has recently refused to return a trademark infringement and passing off suit filed by Amritsar-based businessman Ravinder Singh against Regoshin Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. and others. Singh has alleged infringement of his registered 'ROYAL' and 'ROYU' trademarks through the use of allegedly deceptively similar marks for pharmaceutical and allied products.
Delhi High Court Upholds Dr. Reddy's Rights Over “REDDY” Mark, Rejects Acquiescence Defence
Case Title: Reddy Pharmaceuticals v. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories
Case Number: RFA(OS) 138/2013, W.P.(C) 654/2014
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC(DEL) 512
The Delhi High Court on 18 May dismissed proceedings filed by Reddy Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and upheld reliefs granted in favour of Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) Ltd. in a long-running dispute over the mark “REDDY”, affirming both the permanent injunction and the order directing removal of the trademark. A Division Bench Justices C. Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla dismissed Reddy Pharmaceuticals' appeal against the Single Judge's decree and rejected its writ petition challenging the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) order directing removal of its registered mark.
Case Title: AbbVie Ireland Unlimited Company v. Deputy Controller Of Patents and Designs
Case Number: C.A.(COMM.IPD-PAT) 65/2024
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC(DEL) 513
The Delhi High Court on 29 April set aside an order of the Deputy Controller of Patents and Designs refusing a patent application filed by Abbvie Ireland Unlimited Company, holding that refusal orders must be reasoned and that divisional applications cannot be rejected on inconsistent maintainability grounds without proper analysis of the record. Justice Jyoti Singh quashed the order and remanded the matter for fresh consideration.
Case Title: Nxtquantum Shift Technologies India Private Limited (Trading As AI+ Smartphones) & Anr. v. John Doe & Ors.
Case Number: CS(COMM) - 429/2026
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the personal appearance of Madhav Sheth, founder of NxtQuantum Shift Technologies India Pvt Ltd, trading as AI+ Smartphones, after hearing allegations that the company suppressed material facts and used incorrect contact details while obtaining an ex parte injunction against tech reviewer Prateek Rai of TechWiser. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela passed the direction while hearing Rai's application seeking vacation of the April 28 order restraining him from publishing allegedly disparaging content about AI+ Smartphones.
Case Title: Hugo Boss AG v. Shubham Jain
Case Number: CS(COMM) 507/2026
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC(DEL) 519
The Delhi High Court has recently granted temporary relief to Hugo Boss AG in a trademark infringement suit against a Delhi trader operating as Panipat Handlooms. The court restrained him from manufacturing and selling products such as luxury bedding, linen, and bath towels bearing allegedly infringing BOSS and HUGO BOSS marks. Justice Jyoti Singh passed the order on May 14 in the suit against Shubham Jain, who operates from Ashok Vihar in Delhi.
Case Title: Rajinder Singh vs The Registrar of Trade Marks
Case Number: W.P.(C)-IPD 4/2026
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC (DEL) 494
The Delhi High Court has allowed trademark proprietor Rajinder Singh to file a fresh renewal application for his “B.P.R.” mark despite a delay of over six years. It held that the Trade Marks Registry could not rely on technical procedural non-compliance after having consistently sent communications to his updated address. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela ruled the Registry could not take such a stand after its own conduct showed it had recognised the changed address. “Once the Trade Marks Registry, for all intents and purposes has noted the fresh address of the Agent and has by its conduct of corresponding, even to the extent of sending the Registration Certificate of the petitioner, to the Agent on the new address, it does not lie in the mouth of the respondent to now contend that the petitioner has not complied with the prescribed Rules.”
Delhi High Court Restrains Two Rivals From Using Marks Similar To 'Schezwan Chutney'
Case Title: Capital Foods Private Limited v. Fivestar Dehydration Pvt Ltd & Anr.
Case Number: CS(COMM) 501/2026
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC(DEL) 521
The Delhi High Court has restrained Fivestar Dehydration Pvt Ltd and another from using the mark 'Schezwan Chutney' or deceptively similar variants. It held that merely inserting the word 'Hot' between 'Schezwan' and 'Chutney' would not distinguish the rival products for an average consumer. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela passed the ex-parte ad-interim order on May 14 in a suit filed by Capital Foods Private Limited, an associate of the Tata Group.
Case Title: Ilaiyaraaja v. Saregama India Limited
Case Number: FAO(OS) (COMM) 52/2025
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC(DEL) 525
The Delhi High Court has dismissed music composer Ilaiyaraaja's appeal against a single-judge order that had, at an interim stage, recognised Saregama India Limited's rights over the classic Tamil song En Iniya Pon Nilave from the 1980 film Moodu Pani. A Division Bench of Justice C. Hari Shankar and Justice Om Prakash Shukla pronounced the judgment on Thursday.
Case Title: Raghav Chadha v. Ashok Kumar John Doe & Ors.
The Delhi High Court on Thursday reserved orders on BJP MP Raghav Chadha's plea seeking interim relief against social media posts that allegedly portrayed him as having “sold himself for money” after his switch from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the BJP. Chadha has approached the court claiming that the posts unlawfully used his photographs and personal attributes, framing the dispute as one involving personality rights.
Case Title: Sadhvi Deepika Bharti & Anr. v. Satlok Ashram Foundation & Ors.
Case Number: CS(OS) 511/2025 & I.A. No. 13895/2026
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC (DEL) 530
The Delhi High Court has directed YouTube to take down a video that allegedly used morphed versions of Hindu preacher Sadhvi Deepika Bharti's original religious discourse without authorisation, while falsely portraying her as endorsing Sant Rampal Singh and Satlok Ashram Foundation. Justice Mini Pushkarna passed the order on May 18, 2026, in a suit filed by Sadhvi Deepika Bharti and Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan.
Delhi HC Upholds Temporary Injunction Against Dabur's Cool King Thanda Tael In Dispute With Emami
Case Title: Dabur India Limited v. Emami Limited
Case Number: FAO(OS) (COMM) 23/2026
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC (DEL) 534
The Delhi High Court on Friday upheld a temporary injunction restraining Dabur India Limited from selling its 'Cool King Thanda Tael' cooling hair oil in a trade dress passing-off dispute with Emami Limited over its Navratna Oil. A Division Bench of Justice V. Kameswar Rao and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora made the ruling observing, "Our aforesaid conclusion is based on the finding that the trade dress encompassing the overall visual appearance of the product including the lay-out, colour scheme of the products of the appellant vis-à-vis those of the respondent, has been rightly injuncted because it is deceptively similar to the trade dress of the products of the respondent /plaintiff and there is every likelihood of misleading the consumers and constitutes passing off."
Delhi High Court Restrains “keiekae.store” From Using IKEA Name, Logo And Website Interface
Case Title: Inter Ikea Systems BV v. John Doe & Ors.
Case Number: CS(COMM) 205/2024
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC (DEL) 533
The Delhi High Court on 20 May passed the order in a suit filed by Inter IKEA Systems BV and granted interim protection against trademark and copyright infringement. Justice Jyoti Singh restrained the registrant of the domain name “keiekae.store” from using IKEA's registered trademarks and from replicating the layout and user interface of IKEA's official website. She directed that until the next date of hearing, the defendant shall not use the IKEA name or logo in any manner, including as part of domain names, websites, mobile applications, social media handles, promotional activities, bank accounts, or business correspondence.
Case Title: Neurocentria Inc v. Deputy Controller Of Patents And Designs
Case Number: C.A.(COMM.IPD-PAT) 5/2025
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC(DEL) 527
The Delhi High Court on 18 May dismissed the appeal filed by US-based pharmaceutical company Neurocentria Inc and upheld the October 2024 order of the Deputy Controller of Patents treating the Indian patent application as deemed withdrawn. Justice Jyoti Singh held that a patent applicant cannot seek to retrospectively disclaim its earliest priority date through a belated amendment in order to bypass mandatory statutory timelines under the Patents Act, 1970, including deadlines for national phase entry and filing of a Request for Examination.
Bombay High Court
Bombay High Court Orders Meta To Suspend SWISSTOURS Trademark-Infringing Instagram Account
Case Title: Airline Marketing Services India Private Limited v. John Doe Ashok Kumar
Case Number: INTERIM APPLICATION (L) NO.37049 OF 2025 IN COMMERCIAL IP SUIT (L) NO.36992 OF 2025
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC(BOM) 302
The Bombay High Court has ordered Meta to suspend an account accused of infringing the 'SWISSTOURS' trademark after finding that the handle continued operating despite an earlier restraining order. Justice Sharmila U. Deshmukh, in an order passed on May 4, directed the social media platform to take all steps within its power to suspend, lock, or disable public access to the impugned Instagram handle after noting that it remained active despite an ad-interim injunction granted in December last year.
Calcutta High Court
Copyright Registration Cannot Be Granted Automatically If No Objection Is Filed: Calcutta High Court
Case Title: Rajkumar Aggarwal, Proprietor of M/S. Petro Product vs. Nand Kishore Bhimsariya and Anr.
Case Number: IPDCR/12/2022
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC (CAL) 115
The Calcutta High Court has recently held that copyright registration cannot be granted merely because no objection is received within the statutory period, holding that the Registrar of Copyright must independently verify the correctness of the application before granting registration. Interpreting the Registrar's obligations under the Copyright Rules in cases where no objection is received to a registration application, Justice Arindam Mukherjee observed, “On a conjoint reading of the two parts of Rule 70(10) with the two parts of Rule 70(11) of the 2013 Rules, the legislative intent is crystal clear. Whether there is an objection or not, the registration is subject to the substantive satisfaction of the Registrar of Copyright as to the correctness of the particulars of the application.”
Case Title: Dabur India Limited v. Avanish Agarwal & Ors.
Case Number: IP-COM/6/2026, IA NO: GA-COM/1/2026.
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC (CAL) 130
The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday issued notice to Avanish Agarwal and other respondents on a suit filed by Dabur India Ltd alleging that videos posted by Agarwal about its REAL Fruit Power brand were misleading, malicious, disparaging, and defamatory, while declining immediate interim relief. Justice Sugato Majumdar, hearing the matter on May 19, observed that while Dabur's right to seek legal recourse could not be denied, consumer interest and the dissemination of information relevant to consumers also required consideration before any injunction could be granted.
Calcutta High Court Refuses Interim Plea To Direct OpenAI To Show IndiaMart Links On ChatGPT
Case Title: Indiamart Inter Mesh Limited v. Open Ai Inc. & Ors.
Case Number: IA NO. GA-COM/1/2025 In IP-COM/57/2025
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC (CAL) 131
The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday refused to direct OpenAI to show IndiaMart links in ChatGPT responses, holding that the B2B platform has no prima facie legal right to demand visibility on the AI platform. Justice Ravi Krishan Kapur, in an order dated May 20, dismissed IndiaMart InterMesh Ltd's application for interim relief, holding that the company had failed to establish a prima facie case and that the balance of convenience and irreparable injury also weighed against granting any interim order.
Madras High Court
Madras High Court Restrains MRF's Former Dealer, Another Delhi Entity From Using Its Trademark
Case Title: MRF Limited v. M/s Conveyo Belt Centre & Anr.
Case Number: OA Nos. 386 to 389 of 2026 in C.S(COMM DIV) No. 124 of 2026 and A No. 2004 of 2026
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC(MAD) 131
The Madras High Court has granted temporary relief to MRF restraining two Delhi-based entities from using its trademarks in relation to their business after MRF alleged that one of them continued displaying the marks at trade exhibitions despite a written undertaking not to do so. Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy passed the order on April 29 in a suit filed by MRF seeking relief for alleged trademark infringement, copyright infringement, and passing off against Conveyo Belt Centre and Shri Ram Machinery.
Madras High Court Refuses To Reject Seven Arts' Copyright Suit In Hera Pheri Remake Rights Dispute
Case Title: Firoz A Nadiadwala v. Seven Arts International Limited
Case Number: A No. 1827 of 2026 IN C.S(COMM DIV) No. 267 of 2025
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC(MAD) 132
The Madras High Court has dismissed filmmaker Firoz Nadiadwala's plea seeking rejection of a copyright infringement suit filed by Seven Arts International Limited. The suit concerns alleged remake rights to the Malayalam films Ramji Rao Speaking and Mannar Mathai Speaking, which Seven Arts claims form the basis of the Bollywood Hera Pheri franchise. Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy passed the order on April 24.
Madras High Court Issues Notice On Plea To Stop Telugu Dub Release of Mohanlal's Drishyam 3
Case Title: MS Rajkumar Theatre Pvt Ltd v Aashirvad Cinemas and Others
Case Number: C.S (COMM DIV) 144 of 2026
Film production company Rajkumar Theatre Pvt. Ltd. has approached the Madras High Court seeking to restrain the producers and director of Malayalam movie “Drishyam 3." When the case came up before the vacation court, Justice V Lakshminarayanan admitted the plea and issued notice to the defendants. Notices have been issued to Aashirvad Cinemas (producer of the movie), director Jeethu Joseph and Panorama Studio, which has acquired the worldwide theatrical and digital rights of the movie.
Rajasthan High Court
Case Title: M/s. Dhanvarsha Oil Mills Pvt. Ltd. v. M/s. Hari Industries (Hari Oil Mill)
Case Number: S.B. Civil First Appeal No. 283/2016
Citation: 2026 LLBiz HC(RAJ) 20
The Rajasthan High Court on 19 May set aside a 2016 Trial Court judgment that had restrained Dhanvarsha Oil Mills from using the mark “METRO ENGINE” for its mustard oil products. Justice Sameer Jain held that registration of a trademark under Section 31 of the Trade Marks Act only raises a rebuttable presumption of validity and cannot, by itself, sustain a decree for infringement without a full trial on contested issues and remanded the suit for fresh adjudication on a de novo basis.
Commercial Courts
Case Title: Karl Edward Rice v. Adam El-Megrisi & Ors.
Case Number: CS (Comm.) No.706/2025
A Delhi commercial court has permanently restrained a UK-based YouTube operator and Google entities from infringing YouTuber Karl Rock's copyrighted videos. The court also awarded him ₹5 lakh in damages, holding that the defendant systematically republished portions of his videos as Shorts without authorisation or transformation. The judgment dated May 13, 2026 was passed by District Judge Vinod Yadav in a summary judgment suit filed by Karl Edward Rice, popularly known as Karl Rock. The defendants were Adam El-Megrisi, who operated the YouTube channel “VidBrew”, Google LLC, Google LLC's India liaison office; and other unknown defendants.
Case Title: The Polo/Lauren Company L.P v. M/s Buti Button & Ors.
Case Number: TM No. 71/2016
A Delhi district court has permanently restrained nine Gandhi Nagar traders from selling counterfeit Polo Ralph Lauren products and awarded ₹5 lakh in damages to The Polo/Lauren Company L.P. District Judge Arul Varma of the Saket district court, in a judgment dated May 19, 2026, granted a permanent injunction restraining the defendants from manufacturing, selling, advertising, or otherwise dealing in products bearing the plaintiff's trademarks or deceptively similar marks. The court also directed that the seized counterfeit goods be handed over to the plaintiff for destruction and awarded Rs 5 lakh in damages.
Case Title: Rishi Raj v. Google LLC & Ors.
Case Number: CS(COMM) 715/2021
A Delhi commercial court has dismissed a copyright infringement suit filed by film producer Rishi Raj over alleged unauthorised streaming of films including Vairi, Kanch Ki Diwaar, Laajo, Main Nashe Main Hoon and Ankh Ka Tara. The films were allegedly streamed on YouTube channels run by Chandigarh-based Gaurav Trehan. District Judge Anil Kumar Sisodia of the Tis Hazari Courts, in a judgment delivered on May 4, held that Raj had failed to prove infringement with admissible evidence.
Trademark Registry
Trademark Applications Filed For 'Cockroach Janta Party' As Satirical Movement Goes Viral
Two trademark applications have been filed for “Cockroach Janta Party,” the satirical political movement born out of viral remarks by the Chief Justice of India, before the Indian trademark registry. However, the applications were not filed by Abhijeet Dipke, the former social media strategist who launched the movement. The Cockroach Janta Party was launched on May 16 as a direct satirical response to remarks made a day earlier in the Supreme Court.