Delhi High Court Revokes Gujarat Pesticides' ZOOOK Copyright Registration Over Flawed Search Certificate

The Delhi High Court has recently revoked a copyright registration granted to Gujarat Pesticides for an artistic work titled "ZOOOK", after finding procedural flaws in the process that led to its grant. The court noted that the registration was founded on a Trade Marks Search Certificate that was contrary to the Trade Marks Register. It also found that the registered proprietor of the ZOOOK mark was not notified despite having an interest in the subject matter. Justice Jyoti Singh, in a...

Disputes On Corporate Restructuring Must Be Decided by NCLT, Not Arbitrator: Kerala High Court

On 1 June 2026, the Kerala High Court held that disputes involving corporate restructuring and division of company assets fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and are non-arbitrable. A Single Judge Bench of Justice Easwaran S allowed the petition challenging an arbitral ruling that had rejected a jurisdictional objection under Section 16 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. He observed: “Albeit, this Courts finds that the dispute before...

Madras High Court Says 2003 MoU Did Not Permit Additional Beardsell Companies To Use Corporate Name

The Madras High Court has upheld a permanent injunction restraining two companies incorporated as sister concerns of Beardsell Eastern Pvt Ltd from using the corporate name "Beardsell". The court held that a 2003 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) permitted the establishment of only "a new company" and did not authorise the incorporation of additional entities using the name. A Division Bench of Justice P. Velmurugan and Justice K. Govindarajan Thilakavadi dismissed an intra-court appeal filed...

Partner Cannot Claim Deduction On Interest Paid For Capital Invested In Firm: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court on 20 May held that a partner cannot claim deduction under Section 36(1)(iii) of the Income Tax Act for interest paid on funds borrowed and contributed as capital to a partnership firm, since the borrowed capital was not used for the partner's own business. A Division Bench of Justices Devan Ramachandran and Basant Balaji dismissed the appeal filed by Alice Arun Thomas and upheld the order of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), Cochin Bench. It held: "The provisions...

Delhi High Court Restrains Surat-Based Sellers From Using 'BOMBAY MUSK' Mark On Counterfeit Perfumes

The Delhi High Court on 7 May restrained sellers from manufacturing, marketing, advertising, or selling counterfeit perfumes and personal care products under the “BOMBAY MUSK” mark and deceptively similar variants, holding that such activities were likely to deceive consumers and damage the plaintiff's goodwill. Justice Tejas Karia granted an ex-parte ad-interim injunction in favour of BG Innovators LLP against Wellness Club and Krishiv Enterprise, both based in Surat, Gujarat, after finding...

No Patent Illegality In Award Granting Security Forfeiture And Differential Cost Recovery: Telangana HC

The Telangana High Court on 4 May held that where a contract expressly provides for forfeiture of security and recovery of differential costs, the aggrieved party may invoke both remedies upon breach. A Division Bench of Justices Moushumi Bhattacharya and Gadi Praveen Kumar dismissed the appeal filed by Ashok Rakesh Kumar and upheld an arbitral award in favour of the A.P. Nutrition Council (APNC), finding no patent illegality in the Tribunal granting both forms of relief. The judges...

Delhi High Court Restrains Unauthorized Use Of Varun Dhawan's Persona, Orders Takedown Of Deepfake Content

The Delhi High Court has recently restrained multiple entities from using actor Varun Dhawan's persona for commercial gain after finding a prima facie case that they were offering unauthorized bookings for his appearances, selling merchandise bearing his name and likeness, and publishing abusive, derogatory, and AI-generated content involving him. Justice Jyoti Singh passed the order on May 29 while hearing Dhawan's suit against 18 defendants, including artist-booking platforms, e-commerce...

Delhi High Court Rejects Oracle's Challenge To Award Refusing Transfer Of 'Exadata.in' Domain

The Delhi High Court has refused to interfere with an arbitral award rejecting Oracle International Corporation's bid to secure the transfer of the domain name “www.exadata.in”. The court held that the arbitrator had arrived at a plausible factual conclusion that the threshold necessary for establishing bad-faith registration or use under the .IN Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (INDRP) had not been met. Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar held that similarity between Oracle's registered...

Delhi High Court Restrains Ex-Franchisee From Using 'Moti Mahal' Marks After Termination Of Agreement

The Delhi High Court on 14 May granted an ex-parte ad-interim injunction restraining Zikra Hotels and Restaurants LLP, a former franchisee of the Moti Mahal restaurant chain from running, advertising, or marketing its restaurant under the 'Moti Mahal' marks after it terminated the franchise agreement for non-payment of fees. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela held: “The defendant, M/s Zikra Hotels and Restaurants LLP, had continued using the mark 'Moti Mahal Delux Tandoori Trail' despite its franchise...

Delhi High Court Protects 'Safex' Trademark, Bars Deceptively Similar Use By Seed Company

The Delhi High Court on 26 May granted an ex-parte ad-interim injunction in favour of Safex Chemicals India Limited and restrained Safex Seed India LLP from using the mark “Safex” or any deceptively similar variant in relation to agricultural products. A Bench of Justice Tushar Rao Gedela held that “Safex Seed” lacked distinctiveness and remained descriptive, and therefore failed to distinguish the defendant's mark from the plaintiff's registered trademark. He held: “From a simple and plain...

Gauhati High Court Holds DRC-01 Cannot Replace Statutory Show Cause Notice Under GST Act

The Gauhati High Court on 13 May held that GST authorities under the Assam GST Act cannot initiate and conclude proceedings under Section 73 solely on the basis of a Summary Show Cause Notice in Form GST DRC-01, reiterating that issuance of a proper statutory show cause notice is a mandatory precondition for raising a tax demand. Justice Manish Choudhury allowed the petition filed by Riyan Enterprises and set aside the adjudication order passed under Section 73 of the Assam GST Act for alleged...

Punjab & Haryana High Court Rules PLC Not Separately Taxable, Sets Aside DLF Advance Ruling Orders

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on 13 May held that Preferential Location Charges (PLC) collected by developers for offering a preferred location within a housing project form part of the composite construction service and cannot attract separate taxation. A Division Bench of Justices Deepak Sibal and Lapita Banerji allowed a writ petition filed by DLF Limited and quashed the Advance Ruling Authority order dated 28 August 2020 and the Appellate Authority for Advance Ruling order dated 28...