Delhi High Court Restrains Plywood Sellers From Using Goldmedal Mark To Exploit Brand Goodwill

The Delhi High Court on 15 October passed an interim order restraining Jimmy Thoppilan and others from manufacturing, selling or advertising plywood, block boards, PVC boards and related goods under the mark “Goldmedal Ply And Boards” or any deceptively similar mark, in a trademark infringement suit filed by Goldmedal Electricals Pvt. Ltd.

A Single-Judge Bench comprising Justice Tejas Karia observed:

“The Defendants' sale of the Impugned Goods under the Impugned Marks is prima facie dishonest and nothing but an attempt to ride on the goodwill and reputation of the Plaintiff's Marks so as to cause confusion in the market.”

Goldmedal Electricals alleged that the defendants had copied its registered “GOLDMEDAL” trademark, including its lettering style and artistic presentation, to market plywood and related products. It said the defendants promoted the disputed goods through platforms including IndiaMART, JustDial, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

The company traced its use of the mark to 1979 and said it had built substantial goodwill and reputation through its electrical products. It alleged that the defendants' use of “GOLDMEDAL PLY AND BOARDS” could mislead consumers into believing that the products were associated with the company.

The Bench observed that the defendants had incorporated the “GOLDMEDAL” mark in an identical lettering style, adding only the descriptive words “PLY AND BOARDS”.

Accordingly, the High Court restrained the defendents from using the disputed mark or any deceptively similar mark and listed the matter for hearing on 1 February 2027.