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...

Punjab and Haryana High Court Refuses To Interfere With Facebook's Removal Of Song After Copyright Complaint

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has recently declined to intervene in Meta's removal of a song from a Facebook page. The court noted that the song had been uploaded without the copyright owner's consent. It also found that the page owner had not placed any material on record to dispute that position. Justice Jagmohan Bansal observed that the Facebook page owner had been informed that the song was removed because it was uploaded without the copyright owner's consent. The court further found...

Madras High Court Declines Interim Relief To Hospital In 'RIO' Trademark Row With Diagnostic Centre

The Madurai bench of the Madras High court has dismissed an appeal filed by Rio Children's Hospital against the refusal of an interim injunction restraining Tirunelveli-based Rio Scans and Labs from using the mark "RIO". The court held that the parties' rival claims over the trade name could be decided only after a full-fledged trial. Justice P. Vadamalai upheld a September 2024 order of the Principal District Judge, Madurai. The order had declined interim relief sought by the hospital in a...

Delhi High Court Dismisses Novamax's Cooler Design Infringement Claim, Keeps Passing Off Suit Alive

The Delhi High court on Friday dismissed Novamax Industries LLP's claim that Prem Appliances infringed its registered cooler design after finding that Novamax's own invoices and website showed the design had been publicly sold and displayed before the design application was filed. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, however, declined to summarily reject Novamax's passing off claim, holding that the issue would require evidence at trial. "It is well nigh impossible for this Court to conclude that the...

Delhi High Court Restrains Sellers For Misusing Flipkart's 'Latching On' Feature In SHAPERMEN Trademark Dispute

The Delhi High Court has granted an interim injunction against several sellers accused of misusing Flipkart's "Latching On" feature to market products under the SHAPERMEN brand. The court observed that their conduct appeared prima facie calculated to "ride upon the goodwill associated with the Subject Marks" and was likely to cause confusion about the origin of the products. Justice Tejas Karia passed the order in a suit filed by Piyush Sapra and another party associated with the SHAPERMEN...