Madras High Court Issues Notice On Plea To Cancel CULT Trademark Registration Ahead Of Cult.fit IPO

The Madras High Court has recently issued notice on a petition seeking cancellation of the CULT trademark registration held by Cultfit Healthcare Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Cult. fit Ltd, bringing the ownership of the fitness company's flagship brand under legal challenge ahead of its proposed initial public offering.

Justice PB Balaji issued notice on October 12, 2026, in the rectification petition seeking cancellation of the CULT trademark registration. On November 5, the Court adjourned the matter to December 2, 2026, to enable the registered owner to file its reply.

The rectification petition was filed by Deepak Poduval, who co-founded the original CULT fitness business in Bengaluru in 2015.

Poduval has also instituted proceedings before the Commercial Court in Bengaluru seeking to have the 2017 assignment deeds, transferring the brand, declared void on the ground that the documents were forged. The suit is next listed on November 16.

In a written response dated October 14, 2026, to Poduval's complaint before the Securities and Exchange Board of India, Cult.fit acknowledged that its draft IPO prospectus did not correctly describe the ownership of the CULT trademarks.

It clarified that the trademarks are registered in the name of its subsidiary, Cultfit Healthcare Pvt Ltd, and not Cult.fit Ltd, and undertook to correct the disclosure in the final prospectus.

The company has described the CULT acquisition as "not material." The draft prospectus does not name the acquisition, and while the acquisition deed for Fitness First is available for investor inspection, the CULT assignment deeds have not been made available.

The ownership dispute dates back to the trademark applications. Poduval first applied for the mark "CULT – The Workout Station" in August 2015. Cultfit Healthcare applied in November 2016, claiming use from May 1, 2015. When the Trademark Registry raised an objection citing Poduval's application, Cultfit Healthcare claimed to be the prior user and owner in its own right.

Poduval alleges that his signatures on the 2017 assignment deeds were forged and relies on a privately obtained forensic examination. Cult.fit has denied the allegation, maintaining that Poduval signed the deeds.

For the Petitioner: Advocates Tarun Khurana, Abhijeet Deshmukh, Arjun Santhosh, Sreenath J, Rishi Nandhan R B, Dhakshina Moorthy, M/S. Khurana and Khurana