Delhi High Court Orders Takedown of Rogue Website Misusing 'GOLDIEE' Trademark in Investment Scam

The Delhi High Court on 1 June granted an ex parte ad interim injunction in favour of spice manufacturer Shubham Goldiee Masale Pvt. Ltd. and ordered action against a rogue website that misused its well-known trademark 'GOLDIEE' to run an alleged fraudulent online investment scheme.

Justice Saurabh Banerjee passed the order and granted urgent relief, directing the takedown, blocking, and suspension of the website within 72 hours of receiving the order. He also directed domain registrar Dynadot Inc. and web hosting provider Cloudflare Inc. to block access to the website and suspend related services without delay.

Observing that the “defendant no.1 is prima facie guilty of phishing and cyber fraud,” the Bench noted that members of the public actively made payments and participated in the fraudulent scheme hosted on the website.

Shubham Goldiee Masale Pvt. Ltd., engaged in manufacturing and marketing spices and allied food products, owns the trademark 'GOLDIEE', which its predecessor adopted in 1980. The Trade Marks Registry recognised 'GOLDIEE' as a well-known trademark in 2024 under the Trade Marks Act, 1999.

The dispute arose in the third week of May 2026 after the company received an email questioning whether an investment website was linked to Goldiee Masala, followed by several complaints from the public.

On investigation, the company found that a fraudulent website operating under the domain goldeeejkskksnewmasala.live used its trademarks, labels, mascot, and artistic works to project legitimacy while running schemes involving registration mechanisms, recharge payments, daily income promises, VIP income structures, and withdrawal options.

The Court held that the operator of the website exploited the goodwill of the 'GOLDIEE' brand to mislead the public into believing an association with the company. Beyond restraining the unidentified operator, it directed Dynadot Inc. and Cloudflare Inc. to preserve domain registration records, KYC details, server logs, payment records, and all related electronic evidence.

It further directed the Department of Telecommunications and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, arrayed as defendants 4 and 5, to ensure compliance with the orders issued to the registrar and hosting provider.

The matter will next come up before the roster Bench on 22 September 2026.