Google LLC, the renowned American tech-giant, recently obtained a landmark decision in its favour in the Delhi High Court against consultancy firm Google Enterprises Pvt Ltd and its partners. The court ruled that Google Enterprises had been misusing their trademark and in this regard, directed them to pay the actual cost of Rs 10 lakh in damages.
Justice Sanjeev Narula heard the argument and noted that the defendants used the “Google” mark without any prior authorization. In addition to this duplication, the defendants were also embarking in a fraudulent activity where they were misrepresenting themselves to the public as associated with Google India. This act of deception and trickery resulted in numerous individuals inquiring about the association of the defendant and the tech-giant.
Furthermore, the defendants website was hosting conflated content and was very identical to the plaintiff’s mark. The purpose of this was to make use of the plaintiff’s good name and reputation for acquiring financial gains. The court declared the “Google” trademark a well-known mark with worldwide reputation due to its continuous use.
In the light of this information, the court ordered the defendants to pay Rs 10 lakhs in damages besides the actual costs in terms of the Delhi High Court (Original Side) Rules, 2018. In addition, the court also directed Department of Telecommunication to block any access to the website that is using the “Google” mark in violation of the guidelines set by the court.
Google LLC has been a renowned technology giant that is setting shining examples for businesses at the global level. It is a more than two-decade old company that has been providing innovative solutions to the customers in various arenas such as the digital world, cloud, and data analytics.
Justice Sanjeev Narula has been the presiding judge of this trademark litigation. He is a renowned Indian judge who has held sessions at the Delhi High Court, Himachal Pradesh High Court and Supreme Court of India. He has also been a part of the Central Administrative Tribunal and has delivered numerous judgments that are now considered as ground-breaking. He currently resides in New Delhi.
