Delhi High Court Gives Bombay Shaving Company 1 Day To Revise Disputed Ad In Gillette's Disparagement Suit

Today, on 15 September, the Delhi High Court indicated that it would pass an order against Visage Lines Personal Care Private Limited, the parent company of Bombay Shaving Company, if the company failed to satisfactorily revise an advertisement that Gillette India alleged disparages its products. Justice Jyoti Singh gave the company until the afternoon of 16 September to return with revised versions of the advertisement. The judge made clear that the company could either modify the...

Delhi High Court Issues Notice On ANI Appeal Against Rejection Of Interim Injunction Plea Against OpenAI

On Tuesday, 15 September, a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court issued notice on Asian New International (ANI)'s appeal against the rejection of its interim injunction application against OpenAI Inc. in its copyright infringement suit. Justices Avneesh Jhingan and Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora sought OpenAI's response and listed the appeal for further hearing on 8 December. Background: ANI sued OpenAI in November 2024, alleging that ChatGPT was trained on its copyrighted news content...

Delhi High Court Protects Rajat Sharma's Personality Rights, Bars Trademark Misuse of INDIA TV

The Delhi High Court has recently permanently restrained several individuals and YouTube channels from infringing journalist Rajat Sharma's personality and publicity rights and INDIA TV's registered trademarks. The decree was passed against the specified parties in terms of the permanent-injunction reliefs sought in paragraphs 100(a) to (e) of the plaint.Justice Jyoti Singh passed the order on August 24, 2026. The court also allowed Sharma and INDIA TV to seek a declaration that the INDIA TV...

Delhi High Court Refuses To Restrain Xiaomi From Using 'Find Device' Feature In Patent Dispute

The Delhi High Court has refused to restrain Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited from using its “Find Device” feature, finding that Conqueror Innovations Private Limited had not established a prima facie case of patent infringement. The court also held that Conqueror's approximately nine-year delay in approaching it was, by itself, enough to deny interim relief.A Division Bench of Justice V. Kameswar Rao and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora upheld the Single Judge's refusal to grant an...

Trademark Suits Cannot Be Tried By Courts Below District Court: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court has ruled that a trademark infringement suit cannot be tried by a court below the District Court merely because its pecuniary value falls within the jurisdiction of a Munsiff Court.Justice Mohammed Nias C.P. held that “Given the above, the District Court, for the purposes of Section 134, has to be regarded as the lowest grade competent court to try a trade mark suit, under Section 15 CPC. To hold otherwise would result in a court inferior to the District Court ultimately...

Madras High Court Refuses Preethi Hospitals Permission To Sue Over 'S. Preethi' College Name

The Madras High Court has recently refused to grant leave to Madurai-based Preethi Hospitals Private Limited and Blossom Global Trust to sue an educational trust in Sivagangai over its use of the name “S. Preethi” for a group of colleges.Justice A.D. Maria Clete held that the applicants had not shown that any part of the cause of action arose within the court's Chennai jurisdiction. The court observed, “It is the act of the respondent pleaded to have been done within these local limits that the...

BECO's Ad Campaign Against HUL's Vim, Surf Excel Fails Permissible Comparative Advertising Test: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on Thursday held that BECO's “War on What's Hidden” campaign against Hindustan Unilever's Vim and Surf Excel products prima facie fails the test of permissible comparative advertising.Justice A. J. Bhambhani granted HUL interim relief against the campaign.The advertisements included claims that Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate (LAS) and Benzisothiazolinone (BIT) “can cause skin irritation & allergic reactions”, along with directions to “SWITCH TO BECO”.Kwick Living has been...

Delhi High Court Injuncts Beco Ad Claiming Surf Excel, Vim Cause Skin Irritation, Allergies

The Delhi High Court has granted an interim injunction restraining Kwick Living (I) Private Limited, which operates the cleaning brand Beco, from continuing its advertisement campaign alleging that Hindustan Unilever Limited's Surf Excel and Vim cause skin irritation and allergies.Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani orally remarked, "I am injuncting your ad campaign."The order comes after nearly a month of hearings in the disparagement suit filed by HUL against Beco on comparative advertisements.HUL...

Telangana High Court Suggests Shift From 'Average Buyer' To 'Perceptive Consumer' Test In Trademark Cases

The Telangana High Court has observed that in the age of social media, the traditional test of assessing trademark confusion through the lens of a “person of average intelligence and imperfect recollection” should shift, to that of a “perceptive consumer with informed associations.”The observation came in a trademark dispute between saree retailer Sai Silks (Kalamandir) Limited, the registered proprietor of marks including “Kancheepuram Vara Mahalakshmi Silks” and “Vara Mahalakshmi”, and a rival...

'Kala Hiran' Not In Releasable State, Yet to Be Certified: Delhi High Court Records In Salman Khan's Suit

The producer of the proposed film “Kala Hiran: The Battle for Legacy”, stated to be inspired by actor Salman Khan's 1998 blackbuck poaching case, told the Delhi High Court on Thursday (September 10) that the film is not presently in a “releasable state," as its contents are yet to be certified by the Censor Board.The statement came during a suit filed by Khan, whose counsel told the court that it was his consistent case that the film was about him and that its release would cause him “immense...

'Tragic Picture Of IP Rights Ecosystem': Bombay High Court Rules Scientist, Not IIT Bombay, Owns Invention After 13-Year Battle

Observing that prolonged proceedings over a patent application had cost a scientist 13 years out of the 20-year statutory patent protection period, the Bombay High Court has recognised him as the sole owner of the invention and directed that his patent application be considered on merits. Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan was dealing with a petition filed by Dr. Tarkeshwar Chandrakant Patil, an original inventor named in the patent application filed by IIT Bombay for an invention titled “An...

“Copyright Strikes Have Taken Front Seat Over Personality Rights Cases”: Delhi High Court On Comedian Pulkit Mani's Plea

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday orally remarked that copyright strike disputes are increasingly taking precedence over personality-rights cases. Justice Jyoti Singh remarked, “Personality rights have taken a back seat, copyright strikes have taken a front seat, every day one matter.” The observation came while hearing a suit filed by stand-up comedian Pulkit Mani. He has challenged copyright strikes against his content on his Instagram page @hunnywhoisfunny and alleged an attempt to extract...