High Courts

Delhi High Court Orders Blocking Of Rogue Websites Streaming Sony's Exclusive Sports Broadcasts
The ruling comes amid the ongoing India Tour of England cricket series.

Delhi HC Holds Online Marketplace Access Creates Jurisdiction, Restores Radhey Krishna Trademark Suit
The Delhi High Court on 1 July restored a trademark infringement suit over the “RADHEY KRISHNA” agarbatti mark, holding that a Trial Court had wrongly returned the plaint for want of territorial jurisdiction despite evidence that the goods in question were listed on IndiaMart. A Division Bench of Justices C. Hari Shankar and Justice Om Prakash Shukla restored the suit filed by Rukhmani Keshwani, trading as “Vishwas Agarbatti Store,” against Raju Agarbatti Works, for adjudication on merits. It...

Delhi HC Holds Name Change Doesn't Nullify Arbitration Clause, Refers Newgen Dispute To Arbitration
On 1 July, the Delhi High Court referred a trademark infringement dispute between Newgen Software Technologies Ltd and Newgen IT Technologies Ltd, formerly known as Vcare Infotech Solutions and Services Pvt Ltd, to arbitration. A Division Bench of Justices C. Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla set aside a Commercial Court order that had refused to refer the parties to arbitration, holding that a mere change in corporate name does not extinguish an arbitration clause in a subsisting agreement....

Delhi High Court Confirms Order Directing Kannada Film Mask Makers To Remove 'Naguva Nayana' Or Deposit ₹30 Lakh
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday made absolute an earlier ex parte ad-interim injunction in a copyright suit filed by Saregama India Ltd. against Black Madras Films. The suit concerns the unauthorised use of the classic Kannada song Naguva Nayana in the Kannada film Mask. By doing so, a single-judge bench of Justice Tushar Rao Gedela confirmed its earlier direction requiring the makers of Mask to either remove the song from the film before its OTT release or deposit ₹30 lakh with the court as...

Delhi High Court Rules Ilaiyaraaja Cannot License Songs From 134 Films Pending Saregama Copyright Suit
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday made absolute an ad interim injunction restraining composer Ilaiyaraaja from exploiting or licensing music composed for 134 films in a copyright suit filed by Saregama India Limited, claiming ownership over the works.The list includes iconic films such as 'Pallavi Anu Pallavi', '16 Vayathiniley', 'Mullum Malarum', 'Nizhalgal' and 'Moodu', all bearing Ilaiyaraaja's compositions.Justice Tushar Rao Gedela delivered the ruling today, which upheld the ex-parte...

Bombay HC Protects Bombay Group's Continued Use Of 'Vadilal' Trademark Pending Family Settlement Arbitration
The Bombay High Court has recently granted interim protection to one branch of the Gandhi family behind the Vadilal brand. It restrained Vadilal Industries Ltd., Vadilal International Pvt. Ltd. and other Ahmedabad Group entities from interfering with the Bombay Group's continued use of the "Vadilal" trademark in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana until arbitration over a family settlement is decided. Justice Amit Borkar held that the Bombay Group had established a...

Malabar Gold Cannot Monopolise 'Malabar'; Kerala High Court Sets Aside Passing Off Finding Against Delhi Jeweller
The Kerala High Court has partly allowed an appeal filed by the proprietor of Delhi-based Malabar Fashion Jewellery, setting aside a trial court's finding that the business had passed off its goods as those of Malabar Gold. It, however, retained the injunction restraining the jeweller from using a deceptively similar trademark and clarified that no exclusive rights can be claimed over the geographical expression "Malabar" by itself. Justice Mohammed Nias C.P. held that Malabar Gold's trademark...

Madras High Court Grants Pre-Release Anti-Piracy Injunctions For 'Welcome to the Jungle,' 'Balaramana Dinagalu'
The Madras High Court has granted ad-interim injunctions restraining internet service providers and cable TV operators from infringing the copyright of two films ahead of their theatrical release. The films are the Kannada movie "Balaramana Dinagalu," starring Vinod Prabhakar and Priya Anand, and the Hindi comedy "Welcome to the Jungle," headlined by Akshay Kumar. Justice K. Kumaresh Babu passed separate common orders in each case on June 25, 2026, a day before both films were scheduled to...

Bombay High Court Sets Aside Revocation Of SAATHI's Patent For Natural Fibre Absorbent Article
The Bombay High Court has recently set aside an order revoking a patent granted to SAATHI Inc. for an absorbent article made from natural fibres. The court held that the Controller of Patents revoked the patent without giving reasons, departed from the Opposition Board's recommendation without explaining why, and failed to decide whether the opponent was entitled to maintain the post-grant opposition. Justice Arif S. Doctor delivered the judgment on June 15, 2026. The challenge arose from a...

Calcutta High Court Upholds Rejection of German Research Organisation's Patent For Biomass Growth Method
The Calcutta High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by German research organisation Fraunhofer Gesellschaft against the rejection of its patent application for a method of stimulating biomass growth in a bioreactor. It held that the invention's specification was excessively broad and failed to sufficiently disclose how the invention could be performed. The court also found that the application did not disclose the source and geographical origin of the biological material used in the...

Trademark, Not Copyright Dispute: Bombay High Court Quashes FIR Over Fake Zara and Calvin Klein Apparel
The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against two traders accused of selling counterfeit Zara and Calvin Klein clothing. The court held that the allegations disclosed a trademark-related offence and not offences under the Copyright Act for which the FIR had been registered. Justice M.W. Chandwani observed that the prosecution's own case was that the two men were selling garments bearing the labels of the brands. It was not the prosecution's case that they...

Delhi High Court Temporarily Restrains Use Of 'Godfather' Mark For The Glenwalk Whisky Endorsed By Sanjay Dutt
The Delhi High Court has temporarily restrained the makers of The Glenwalk whisky from using the mark "GODFATHER" for their proposed whisky product endorsed by actor Sanjay Dutt. The court held that the prominent use of the word was deceptively similar to the long-standing trademark owned by Devans Modern Breweries. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela passed the interim order. He directed Cartel Bros. Pvt. Ltd. to immediately remove advertisements, listings and social media content carrying the mark...
