Bombay HC Declares 'HIRECT' a Well-Known Mark

The Bombay High Court declared "HIRECT" as a well-known trademark under Section 2(1)(zg) of the Trade Marks Act, 1999, and granted an interim injunction restraining Chrome21 India from infringing the mark.

Justice R.I. Chagla observed that Hind Rectifiers, which coined and used the mark "HIRECT"  since 1961, successfully established its goodwill and reputation in the electronics and railway transportation sectors.

Consequently, the defendants were restrained from using the mark "HIRECT" its logo, or any deceptively similar mark, and from operating the impugned domains.

The Court emphasized that allowing such usage would result in irreparable harm to Hind Rectifiers' reputation. Further, proceedings in the suit remain pending.