Delhi High Court Directs Removal Of 'Shree Sakshat' Copyright Registration For Copying Heineken's Tiger Beer Logo

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the Registrar of Copyrights to remove from the Register a copyright registration obtained by Vijay Keshav Wagh for the artistic work titled “SHREE SAKSHAT,” holding that it copied in its entirety the TIGER beer logo owned by Heineken Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela held that a comparison of the two logos showed that Wagh had reproduced Heineken's tiger device in its entirety, with only minor additions that did not alter the dominant...

Delhi High Court Holds Crocodile International Logo Infringes Not Just Lacoste's Trademark But Also Its Copyright

The Delhi High Court on Monday modified a single judge ruling in a long-running trademark dispute between Lacoste and Singapore based Crocodile International, holding that the latter's crocodile device infringed both the French fashion house's trademark and its copyright in the iconic saurian emblem. A Division Bench of Justice C. Hari Shankar and Justice Om Prakash Shukla, in a judgment pronounced on March 9, 2026, partly allowed cross appeals by the parties and modified the August 14, 2024...

Delhi High Court Restrains Oiltech Engineering From Using Pirated Bentley STAAD, SACS Software

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted a permanent injunction to infrastructure engineering software company Bentley Systems Inc., holding that Oiltech Engineering India Private Limited had used pirated versions of its software. The court restrained the company from copying, installing, or using unauthorized versions of Bentley's STAAD and SACS software programs.Justice Tushar Rao Gedela observed, “It appears that the defendants rather than procuring genuine licenses have used...

Supreme Court Grants Anticipatory Bail To Businessman Accused Of Supplying Bottles And Caps For Spurious Liquor

The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to a businessman accused of supplying plastic bottles, caps bearing government labels and cardboard boxes allegedly used for bottling spurious liquor. The Court noted that he was not initially named in the FIR and that no raid had been conducted at his place of business.A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and N.V. Anjaria allowed the appeal filed by Manoj Kumar Mutta and set aside the Andhra Pradesh High Court's order dated December 5,...

Supreme Court Issues Notice On Plea Over Denial Of Use Or Refund Of Compensation Cess ITC After Coal Cess Scrapped

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice on a writ petition challenging the denial of utilisation or refund of accumulated Compensation Cess input tax credit (ITC) after the cess on coal was scrapped. The petition, filed by Carbon Resources Pvt. Ltd., claims the change has left the company with around Rs 23 crore in compensation cess credit that has become unusable because no mechanism was provided to either utilise or refund it. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and...

Delhi High Court Upholds Arbitral Award That Found Commission Was Not Automatic Under Representative Agreement

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday upheld an arbitral award in a commission dispute between a consultancy firm and an oil and gas pipeline services company. The court affirmed the arbitrator's view that a representative appointed under a commercial agreement does not automatically become entitled to commission every time the company secures a project from the same customer. A Division Bench of Justice Anil Kshetrapal and Justice Amit Mahajan dismissed an appeal and affirmed an earlier decision...

Bombay High Court Cancels C21 Trademarks Registered by Century 21 Town Planners, Cites Dishonest Adoption

The Bombay High Court has allowed rectification petitions filed by Century 21 Real Estate LLC and ordered cancellation of four trademark registrations for the mark “C21” obtained by Century 21 Town Planners Pvt Ltd, holding that the respondent's adoption of the mark was dishonest and intended to ride on the petitioner's goodwill.“The contention that the marks are dissimilar needs only to be stated to be rejected. This contention once again brings to the fore the dishonesty and inconsistency in...

Supreme Court Reserves Verdict In Filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh's Plea To Quash Copyright Case Over Film Kahaani 2

The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its judgment in a plea filed by filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh seeking the quashing of criminal proceedings alleging copyright infringement in connection with the film Kahaani 2, which was declined by the Jharkhand High Court. A bench of Justices Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Alok Aradhe heard the matter and reserved the verdict. Earlier, on July 2, 2025, the court issued notice and granted interim relief by dispensing with Ghosh's personal appearance before...

Reverse Passing Off Foreign To Indian Trademark Jurisprudence, Not Enforceable: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on Monday ruled that the tort of “reverse passing off” is foreign to Indian trademark jurisprudence and does not create an enforceable cause of action under the Trade Marks Act. The court dismissed appeals filed by Western Digital and Seagate against refurbishers who remove original brand labels from used hard disk drives and sell them under new brands. A Division Bench of Justice C. Hari Shankar and Justice Om Prakash Shukla held that Indian trademark jurisprudence...

GST Summary Notice Cannot Replace Statutory Show Cause Notice: Gauhati High Court

The Gauhati High Court has held that a summary of a show cause notice issued in Form GST DRC-01 cannot substitute the requirement of a proper show cause notice under the GST law.Justice Soumitra Saikia quashed the order dated August 29, 2024, issued against the taxpayer, Md. Shoriful Islam, under the GST regime after observing that the tax authorities had only issued a summary of the show cause notice along with an attachment containing the determination of tax.The petitioner was issued a...

Service Tax Cannot Be Demanded Solely Based On Form 26AS Data Without Inquiry: Gauhati High Court

The Gauhati High Court on 20 February, held that the Revenue Department cannot demand Service Tax from a taxpayer, solely on the basis of information provided in Form 26AS. The Division Bench of Justice Michael Zothankhuma and Justice Shamima Jahan heard an appeal filed by the Principal Commissioner of CGST, Dibrugarh, against a CESTAT Kolkata order that had set aside a service tax demand of Rs. 6,39,09,190 imposed on a contractor. The Bench held: “The show cause notice dated 21.10.2019 and...

Gauhati High Court Allows Writ Despite Arbitration Clause After Finding ESIC's Action In GeM Contract Arbitrary

The Gauhati High Court has recently allowed a writ petition against ESIC authorities over non-payment of dues under a government procurement contract, despite the existence of an arbitration clause, after finding the state authority's conduct arbitrary.The observation came in a case arising out of a Government e-Marketplace procurement in which an ESIC hospital withheld payment even after issuing an acceptance certificate for medical equipment supplied under the contract. The court directed the...