TV Today Network, owner of Aaj Tak, has taken ABP News to the Delhi High Court, alleging that its show Maha Dangal is deceptively similar to Aaj Tak’s popular debate show Dangal.

TV Today’s counsel argued that the title and presence of former Aaj Tak anchor Priyanka Tripathi on ABP’s show causes viewer confusion. Justice Amit Bansal noted viewers usually recognize channels and remarked that Dangal isn't a trademarkable term, citing the Bollywood film Dangal.

The court issued notice and suggested possible mediation between the prominent news networks. The next hearing may be soon.

The Delhi High Court has granted a temporary injunction to Agarwal Packers & Movers Ltd in a trademark infringement suit against a fraudulent website, ‘aggarwalmoverspackers.in’.

The Court found that the defendant was unlawfully using a deceptively similar name, likely to confuse consumers and mislead them into believing an association with the reputed logistics company.

The court held that a prima facie case of infringement and passing off was made out and restrained the defendant from using the name or mark ‘Agarwal’ in any form.

The Court also ordered the suspension of the domain, blocking of related phone numbers, and deactivation of UPI IDs.

The Delhi High Court is hearing ANI’s copyright suit against OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT unlawfully used its news content for AI training.

Represented by Senior Advocate Amit Sibal, OpenAI argued that “news of the day” and factual content are not copyright-protected, and ChatGPT generates new content rather than reproducing ANI’s. 

ANI claimed misuse of exclusive interviews and alleged market dilution and reputational harm, including fabricated quotes. OpenAI also noted that its training data is stored overseas, beyond Indian jurisdiction. 

Justice Amit Bansal issued notice to OpenAI and listed the matter for further hearing on April 29, 2025, acknowledging the issue’s legal complexity.

The Supreme Court stayed the Delhi High Court’s direction requiring Azure Hospitality to pay Phonographic Performance Ltd. (PPL) as per the Recorded Music Performance Ltd. (RMPL)’s tariff for playing PPL’s copyrighted music.

The Court clarified that the stay on the High Court’s payment direction does not revive the earlier injunction against Azure. 

The Delhi High Court held that PPL cannot issue licenses without being a registered copyright society under Section 18(1) of the Copyright Act. PPL’s SLP challenges the modified injunction.

The Next hearing is scheduled for July 21, 2025.

The Indian Intellectual Property Office has officially recognized five brands, Starbucks, NDTV, Economic Times, Matrix Cosmec Private Limited, and T.T. (Rikhab Chand Jain), as well-known trademarks under Rule 124 of the Trade Marks Rules, 2017.

This designation, published in the Trade Marks Journal, followed a public notification process during which no objections were raised or existing objections were withdrawn.

Well-known trademarks receive extensive legal protection across various sectors due to their strong reputation and the trust they have earned from consumers. This designation helps protect the brand from misuse and dilution.

The decision highlights the significant brand equity and market presence of these companies, thereby ensuring enhanced enforcement rights under trademark law.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has filed a case Delhi High Court, accusing Uber of using its trademark unfairly in a YouTube ad titled "Baddies in Bengaluru ft. Travis Head".

RCB argued that the ad featured cricketer Travis Head altering a stadium sign to read “Royally Challenged Bengaluru,” which tarnishes RCB’s image and mocks its brand.

The franchise argued that Uber, a sponsor of RCB's rival team, Sunrisers Hyderabad, used a misleading variant of its trademark for commercial gain. 

Uber’s counsel defended that the ad was light-hearted and humorous, promoting ride bookings during an upcoming RCB-SRH match on May 13 in Bengaluru.

The Delhi High Court granted a permanent injunction against ‘Rontex’ for using a deceptively similar eagle logo that infringed Harley-Davidson’s trademark and copyright.

The Court observed that footwear brand ‘Rontex’ employed logos that were visually and structurally identical to Harley-Davidson’s registered trademarks, including the bar-and-shield design, thereby infringing provisions of the Trade Marks Act, 1999, and the Copyright Act, 1957.

The defendant failed to file a written statement, leading the Court to proceed with a summary judgment.

Upon finding deliberate imitation and unfair advantage taken of Harley-Davidson’s goodwill, the Court awarded ₹5 lakh as costs and damages in favour of the company.

Sony Music has filed a ₹5 crore copyright infringement case against online shopping brand Myntra in the Bombay High Court for using its songs without permission.

The company alleges that Myntra used several of its sound recordings, including popular tracks like “Ishq Di Baajiyan,” “Gal Mitthi Mitthi,” “Behke Behke,” and “Zaroor,” on its app and website without permission.

Despite receiving a cease and desist notice, Myntra continued using the songs in ads and promotions without any license or approval.

The Court has directed Myntra to file its affidavit-in-reply within six weeks. The matter is next listed for hearing on June 30, 2025

The Supreme Court has resolved the ambiguity between copyright and design protection under Section 15(2) of the Copyright Act. 

The court laid down a two-step test to determine : (1) whether the work is purely artistic or qualifies as a design, and (2) whether its primary purpose is functional or aesthetic.

The case involved a 2018 suit by Inox India Ltd., alleging copyright infringement by Cryogas Equipment and LNG Express India over engineering drawings of cryogenic LNG trailers.

The Court held that if a design is used industrially over 50 times without registration under the Designs Act, it loses copyright protection. The case was remanded for trial on factual issues.

The Delhi High Court has ruled that Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) cannot issue licenses for playing music in restaurants and public spaces unless it is registered as a copyright society under Section 33 of the Copyright Act, 1957.

The Division Bench overturned a previous single-judge decision and clarified that assignment agreements with music labels don’t grant PPL the authority to license music.

The case involved Azure Hospitality, which played songs owned by PPL in its restaurants without proper authorization.

Although PPL cannot issue licenses for the music, Azure is required to pay a fee comparable to the one charged by Recorded Music Performance Ltd.

Real estate tycoons Abhishek and Abhinandan Lodha have amicably resolved their ₹5,000 crore trademark dispute through mediation led by retired Supreme Court Justice R.V. Raveendran.

As per the agreement, Abhishek Lodha’s Macrotech Developers Ltd. will exclusively use the trademarks ‘Lodha’ and ‘Lodha Group’, while Abhinandan Lodha will operate under the brand ‘House of Abhinandan Lodha’ (HoABL).

Both parties confirmed that their businesses are separate and unaffiliated and agreed to issue public disclaimers to avoid confusion.

The dispute arose from a 2017 family settlement and escalated in 2024 over alleged trademark violations. 

The Bombay High Court granted ex-parte ad-interim relief in favor of Hindustan Unilever Ltd.(HUL) in a John Doe suit against anonymous individuals selling counterfeit and illegally imported 'Closeup' and 'Pepsodent' products.

These fake products were sold in Ranchi and Indore markets with packaging errors, such as "Napal" instead of "Nepal."

The court ruled that HUL was entitled to protection against such counterfeit products because of the potential for irreparable damages.

The court restrained the defendant from manufacturing such oral hygiene products under HUL inverted marks and appointed a Court Receiver and Additional Special Receiver to seize and inventory the counterfeit and contraband items.

The Commercial Court in Dehradun granted an interim injunction in favour of The Doon School, restraining a Srinagar-based school and unknown parties from using the name ‘The Doon School’. 

The Doon School, a reputed institution established in 1935 in Dehradun, filed a trademark infringement suit against a school operating in Jammu & Kashmir under the name "Doon School, Srinagar", operated by Akbar Education Trust, without permission. 

The plaintiff submitted news articles and video clips as evidence, arguing that the unauthorized use could mislead the public and harm the school’s long-standing reputation. 

The Court found a prima facie case and passed the injunction to protect the school’s trademark rights.

The Delhi High Court has ordered the removal of the trademark ‘Kindpan’ after Mankind Pharma filed a petition against M/s Sanavita Medicare.

The court found that the respondent, who registered the mark under Class 5 (medicinal and pharmaceutical preparations), attempted to misuse Mankind’s goodwill.

The court noted that Mankind Pharma had prior rights over the ‘Mankind’ and ‘Kind’ trademarks since 2013, while the respondent applied in 2014, unjustly encashing its goodwill.

The respondent had no valid reason for adopting the mark, applying a "proposed to be used" basis, and directed the Trade Marks Registry to remove the impugned mark to protect Mankind Pharma’s reputation.