IPR
United Breweries Secures Trade Mark Registration For Kingfisher Sound Mark “Oo La La La La Le O”
United Breweries Limited has secured a registration for the sound trade mark associated with its Kingfisher brand, with the Trade Marks Registry issuing a certificate of registration for the jingle popularly rendered as “Oo La La La La Le O” under the Trade Marks Act, 1999. The registration, granted by the Trade Marks Registry, Mumbai, confers statutory exclusive rights on United Breweries Limited over the auditory brand asset, which has been extensively deployed in advertising and brand...
'More The Merrier?': Delhi High Court Questions Insistence On Retaining Social Media Platforms In Karan Johar's Personality Rights Suit
The Delhi High Court on Thursday questioned the legal basis for retaining social media intermediaries as parties in filmmaker Karan Johar's personality rights suit after they have complied with its takedown directions, asking, “Why have more the merrier attitude?” Justice Jyoti Singh was hearing submissions from platforms including Meta (Defendant 15), X Corp. (Defendant 16) and Etsy (Defendant 12), which were impleaded as proforma parties in the suit. Meta informed the Court that it had...
Supreme Court Restores Breach-Of-Injunction Proceedings In 'HERO' Trademark Dispute Between Hero Cycles and Hero Ecotech
The Supreme Court recently revived proceedings for alleged breach of an injunction in the long-running “HERO” trademark dispute between Hero Cycles Limited and Hero Ecotech Limited. A bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan set aside a September 3, 2025 judgment of the Patna High Court, which had quashed a 2019 trial court order directing initiation of contempt proceedings against Hero Ecotech and others for alleged breach of an injunction. The High Court had held that the trial...
Bombay High Court Restrains 'ACERIL' Trademark For Phonetic Similarity With Glenmark's 'ASCORIL'
The Bombay High Court on 16 February granted ad-interim relief to Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd, temporarily restraining the use of the trademark “ACERIL” by Venkata Subbarao, after finding it visually and phonetically similar to Glenmark's registered mark “ASCORIL.” Justice Sharmila U. Deshmukh observed that although the two medicinal products treat different ailments, the similarity between the marks, if not restrained, could have a disastrous effect. She wrote: “Prima facie the visual and...
Delhi High Court Imposes ₹50,000 Costs On Patent Owner For “Unnecessary Litigation”
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to allow Pawan Kumar Goel to withdraw his patent infringement suit over a patented process for extracting Alpha Yohimbine, a plant-derived compound used in dietary supplements, and imposed costs of Rs. 50,000 for “unnecessary litigation.” Justice Tushar Rao Gedela declined Goel's request under Order XXIII Rule (1)(3)(b) of the Code of Civil Procedure seeking permission to withdraw the suit with liberty to institute a fresh suit on the same cause of...
Public University Data Can Be Used If Not Disparaging: Delhi High Court Lifts Injunction Against EdTech Site
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday set aside a trial court order restraining an education-technology start-up from using the names, information, and details of two universities on its website, holding that it has a right to use publicly available information so long as it is not presented disparagingly. A single-judge bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri held that the respondents were “unable to make out a prima facie case” and termed it “an unconvincing argument” that rankings displayed on the...
Expiry Notice To Unauthorized Agent Not Compliant With Trade Marks Act: Delhi High Court Allows Renewal Of 8 Marks
The Delhi High Court has permitted renewal of eight trademarks after holding that expiry notices sent to an unauthorized agent do not amount to compliance with the Trade Marks Act.Justice Tushar Rao Gedela ruled that issuing notices to a person who was no longer authorised does not satisfy Section 25(3) of the Trade Marks Act. “The fact that the notices contemplated under Section 25(3) of the Act and RG-3 notices were issued to a person who, as on the date of issuance of such notices, was not...
Baba Ramdev Approaches Delhi High Court Over Deepfakes, Seeks Protection of Personality Rights
Yoga guru and Patanjali Ayurved co-founder Baba Ramdev has moved the Delhi High Court on Tuesday (February 17) seeking protection of his personality rights. The matter was listed before Justice Jyoti Singh and was briefly heard. It has now been kept for further hearing on Wednesday. Ramdev seeks an injunction against the unauthorised use of his name, likeness, voice and distinctive style of discourse on digital platforms. The plea targets “John Doe” defendants allegedly using artificial...
Madras High Court Warns Against Mechanical Notices, Orders Decision On 14-Year-Old Cancer Drug Patent
The Madras High Court on 12 February observed that the Intellectual Property Office cannot mechanically issue notices or summons whenever pre-grant patent oppositions are received, warning that such an approach makes it “very easy to defeat the rights” of patent applicants. Justice N. Anand Venkatesh issued directions in a case involving a 14-year-old patent application filed by Merck Sharp & Dohme B.V. for a cancer drug. Noting that by “postponing the same for one reason and the other”...
Delhi High Court Temporarily Restrains Deepika Padukone's 82°E From Using “Lotus Splash” Mark In Dispute With Lotus Herbals
The Delhi High Court has issued a temporary injunction restraining actress Deepika Padukone's DPKA Universal Consumer Ventures Private Limited, the entity behind the skincare brand 82°E, from manufacturing, advertising or selling its "Lotus Splash" facial cleanser until final disposal of the suit. The Division Bench comprising Justice V. Kameswar Rao and Justice Vinod Kumar held that the use of the mark "Lotus Splash" by the defendants was not merely descriptive of an ingredient but was being...
Actor Shatrughan Sinha Moves Bombay High Court To Protect 'Personality Rights' And Iconic Dialogue 'Khamosh'
Veteran Bollywood actor and Member of Parliament Shatrughan Sinha has moved the Bombay High Court seeking to protect his personality and publicity rights.The commercial suit, heard by a single-judge bench of Justice Sharmila Deshmukh, alleges the unauthorised use of Sinha's name, image, likeness, and his signature catchphrase, "Khamosh!" The court has reserved the matter for ad-interim orders on Monday. The suit, filed through Sinha's son and Power of Attorney holder, Luv Sinha, describes...