Calcutta HC Upholds Injunction Against 'IJM Gold Stag' For Trademark Infringement, Passing Off ITC's 'Gold Flake'

The Calcutta High Court has upheld an interim injunction against the use of “IJM Gold Stag” for cigarettes, finding sufficient similarity with ITC Limited's “Gold Flake” marks and packaging to make out a prima facie case of trademark infringement and passing off.A Division Bench of Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya and Justice Supratim Bhattacharya delivered the judgment on September 18, 2026. The bench also dismissed ITC's cross-objection, holding that the injunction granted by the Single Judge...

Delhi High Court Orders Takedown Of Obscene Content In Actor Meenakshi Chaudhary's Personality Rights Suit

The court, however, left claims of commercial exploitation of her personality rights open, saying blanket relief could not be granted without evidence of actual monetisation.

Delhi High Court Blocks Piracy Websites From Streaming Amazon's Kunal Kemmu, Preity Zinta Film 'VIBE'

The Delhi High Court has restrained 11 piracy websites, including Cinevood, PVRPlay and 1TamilMV, from hosting, streaming or otherwise making Amazon's upcoming film “VIBE” available online without authorisation, ahead of its scheduled theatrical release.Justice Jyoti Singh passed the ex parte ad interim order on September 15 in a suit filed by Amazon Seller Services Private Limited. The film is scheduled for a pan-India theatrical release on September 18, 2026.“VIBE” is written and directed by...

Delhi High Court Orders Blocking Of Websites Illegally Streaming F1 Racing, ATP Tennis, Saudi Pro League

The Delhi High Court has recently ordered the blocking of four rogue websites accused of illegally streaming Formula 1, ATP Tour and Saudi Pro League events in India, for which FanCode has exclusive broadcasting rights.Justice Jyoti Singh passed the order on September 10, granting Sporta Technologies, which owns and operates FanCode, an ex parte ad interim injunction. The court found that Sporta had made out a prima facie case, that the balance of convenience lay in its favour and that it was...

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...

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...

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...

Copyright Registration Not Mandatory To Initiate Criminal Proceedings For Infringement: Rajasthan High Court

The Rajasthan High Court has held that copyright registration is not mandatory for instituting criminal proceedings alleging copyright infringement. A party can claim rights over a title without registration, subject to establishing those rights through evidence.Justice Ashok Kumar Jain, in an order dated August 17, 2026, made the observation while refusing to quash a 2012 case concerning alleged infringement of copyright and trademark rights over Dandi Salt and Dandi Namak.The Court observed,...

Asian Paints Trademark Suit: Bombay High Court Orders Forcible Possession Of Entire Paint Factory In Ghaziabad

The Bombay High Court has directed its Court Receiver to take forcible physical possession of an entire paint manufacturing premises in Ghaziabad. The direction came after an Additional Special Receiver was allegedly obstructed while executing an earlier injunction order.Justice Madhav J. Jamdar passed the direction on August 31 in a commercial intellectual property dispute involving Asian Paints Limited and Deepak Kumar Panwar, who operates Akshay Paints Industries in Ghaziabad.The court...

Madras High Court Refuses To Lift Injunction Against Chennai Trader Over Use Of GLOBE Mark For Padlocks

The Madras High Court has refused to vacate an injunction restraining Chennai trader Vikas Mandoth from using a “GLOBE” mark on padlocks and other hardware goods. The court prima facie concluded that Shanghai Huanqiu Lock Making Company Ltd. was the prior user of the mark and had established reputation and goodwill in the market, while Mandoth's mark/device was phonetically and visually similar.Justice K. Kumaresh Babu also noted that Mandoth's trademark application, filed in 2023, stated that...

Bombay High Court Restrains Sale Of Counterfeit 'CLEAR' Packaged Drinking Water

The Bombay High Court has restrained a Karnataka-based business from using the “CLEAR/CLEAR AQUA IND” mark after finding the impugned products to be counterfeit. The court had earlier observed that “AQUA IND” was shown in negligible font while prominence was given to “CLEAR”, and that the rival products had identical bottle shapes, label marks, colour schemes and placement of features.Justice Madhav J. Jamdar allowed Energy Beverages Pvt. Ltd.'s interim application in terms of prayers (a) to (e)...