Delhi High Court Records Settlement Between Devans, Cartel Bros In Godfather Trademark Dispute

The Delhi High Court on 6 November recorded a settlement between Devans Modern Breweries Limited, the maker of Godfather beer, and Cartel Bros Private Limited, the maker of Glenwalk Godfather whisky, in a trademark dispute over the use of the mark 'GODFATHER'.

Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav recorded the settlement, under which Cartel Bros acknowledged Devans' statutory and common law rights in the 'GODFATHER' trademark and agreed to a permanent injunction restraining it from using the mark or any deceptively similar mark for whisky or any other alcoholic beverages.

The dispute arose after Cartel Bros introduced its Glenwalk whisky under the name 'GODFATHER', endorsed by actor Sanjay Dutt. Devans, which claims to have adopted the 'GODFATHER' trademark for beer in 1984, approached the Court alleging infringement of its registered trademark.

In June 2026, the Court had temporarily restrained Cartel Bros from manufacturing, bottling, marketing, selling, advertising or exporting whisky under the marks 'GODFATHER', 'GODFATHER'S' or any deceptively similar variation.

Under the present settlement, Cartel Bros has undertaken to withdraw its rectification petitions challenging Devans' trademark registrations, pending applications before the Trade Marks Registry and an application before the UK Intellectual Property Office within 14 days.

Cartel Bros has also undertaken not to apply for registration of the 'GODFATHER' mark or any deceptively similar mark in India or elsewhere.

The Bench noted that the settlement had been arrived at voluntarily and in accordance with Order XXIII Rule 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC). It directed that the parties would be bound by the settlement terms.

Accordingly, the High Court disposed of the dispute in terms of the settlement.