Indian Trademark Statistics for February (Second Week), Kamala Harris Trademark, 3.85 Crores Awarded to Whatman in Damages, Solid 21 Inc in Legal Battle, Harmal Chilli GI and more, brought to you by the Trademark Attorneys at BananaIP (BIP) Counsels.
TRADEMARK QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Every interaction in any form, is branding-Seth Godin
INDIAN TRADEMARK STATISTICS
In the last week, the Indian Trademark Office has had a slow week. The total number of applications published in the trademark journal has decreased by four percent (4 %). Similarly, the total number of renewals notices issued has decreased by nineteen percent (19 %). However, the total hearing notices issued has increased by sixty three percent (63 %).
Weekly Indian Trademark Statistics
| Particulars | Last Week | This Week | Change in % |
| Total Trademark Applications Examined by Trademark Office | 7932 | 8008 | An increase of 1% |
| Total Applications Disposed through Show Cause Hearings | 6015 | 6077 | An increase of 1% |
| Total Applications Published in the Trademark Journal | 7888 | 7607 | A decrease of 4% |
| Total Registrations Granted | 4884 | 5672 | An increase of 16% |
| Total Hearing Notices Issued | 9001 | 14681 | An increase of 63% |
| Total Renewals Notices Issued | 2110 | 1699 | A decrease of 19% |
Trademark Statistics by Office
Total Number of New Applications Received from February 6th, 2019 to February 13th, 2019
| Sr. No | Jurisdiction | New Applications | Examined | Published | Registered |
| 1 | AHMEDABAD | 983 | 513 | 812 | 481 |
| 2 | CHENNAI | 1263 | 616 | 1402 | 1262 |
| 3 | DELHI | 2513 | 1363 | 2236 | 1844 |
| 4 | KOLKATA | 378 | 252 | 244 | 297 |
| 5 | MUMBAI | 1536 | 1009 | 1777 | 1479 |
| Total | 6673 | 3753 | 6471 | 5363 |
Yearly Trademark Statistics
Trademark Statistics from January 01st, 2019 to February 13th, 2019
- Total Number of Trademark Applications Filed – 40782
- Total Number of Trademark Applications Examined – 22683
- Total Number of Trademark Applications Published – 38751
- Total Number of Trademark Applications Registered – 29924
INTERESTING BRAND NEWS
Kamala Harris For the People
With the US Presidential campaign season coming into picture, new trademark applications for campaign slogans and logos are on the rise. The latest to join in the trend is the trademark application ‘KAMALA HARRIS FOR THE PEOPLE’, filed by the nonprofit organization Kamala Harris For the People. The trademark application has been filed for Kamala Harris, who recently announced her candidacy for the post of the President of the US. The trademark has been applied for in a number of classes covering accessories, stationary, apparel as well as political campaign services.
INDIAN TRADEMARK UPDATES
3.85 Crores Awarded to Whatman in Trademark Infringement Suit
The Delhi High Court has awarded damages of 3.85 Crores to WHATMAN International Limited, a UK based company, in a suit for trademark infringement. WHATMAN is a well-known GE Healthcare Life Sciences brand specializing in laboratory filtration products. WHATMAN had alleged in the lawsuit that P. Mehta and others, the infringing parties, who are various persons belonging to the same family, of selling filter paper of an identical colour combination to theirs under various brands and thus harming their reputation. The court in its judgment said that the infringing parties were not only selling lookalike filter paper, but were also selling counterfeit WHATMAN filter papers, making the customers believe that the filter papers were genuine WHATMAN products. The infringing parties have been selling the products continuously, even after a temporary injunction order was passed by the court in May 2014. Therefore, the court held the parties to be guilty of trademark infringement and passing off and have directed P. Mehta and others to pay damages of INR 3.85 crores to WHATMAN within three months from the date of order.
INTERNATIONAL TRADEMARK UPDATES
Solid 21 Inc. Battle for Red Gold
Solid 21 Incorporated, a watch brand owned by Nigerian-American watchmaker Chris Aire, has filed a trademark infringement suit against Compagnie Financière Richemont SA, also known as Richemont, a Switzerland based luxury accessories company, over the trademark ‘Red Gold’. Solid 21 has claimed in the suit that Richemont along with its subsidiaries has infringed its registered trademark for red gold watches, which is likely to cause confusion among consumers about the origin of the product. Solid 21 is alleging trademark infringement, dilution, unfair competition and false description of goods, and is seeking monetary compensation for the undue profits gained from the use of its mark.
BRAND LICENSING UPDATES
A Hush Hush Affair For Bonjour
Bonjour, India’s first multinational socks brand has collaborated with Hush Puppies, the American footwear company, to produce a new range of products for them i.e. socks. Bonjour shall be responsible for socks manufacturing, marketing, and sales in the Indian subcontinent. The new range is targeting adults above the age of 30 years.
GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION UPDATES
Harmal Chilli GI
In a bid to add further spice to your food, one more chilli has entered the race for Geographical Indication status. Harmal Pernem Chilli is a famous variety of chilli grown in the Harmal village of Pernem Taluka of Goa. It is well known for its spice factor and is reddish brown in colour. The GI application was filed in January 2019.
BANANAIP TIP OF THE WEEK
Anyone can contest and seek the rectification of a registered trademark if that trademark has not been used consistently over a five year period.
Author: BIP Trademark Attorneys
Led by Sanjeeth Hegde, BIP’s Trademark Attorneys are among the leading experts in the field. They work on trademark filing, prosecution, management, licensing, franchising, merchandizing, litigation, and strategy for clients such as PEPS, Yash Raj Films, Dharma Productions, Essilor, Samsung and the IITs.
The weekly trademark news initiative is a part of their pro bono work and is aimed at spreading trademark awareness. You are free to share the news with appropriate attribution and backlink to the source.
If you have any questions, you may write to BIP’s Trademark Attorneys at contact@bananaip.com
