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Informist, Wednesday, Mar. 19, 2025

 

NEW DELHI – The Delhi High Court has declared 'Taj' as a well-known trademark in respect of hotels and other related services in the hospitality industry. It was hearing a petition by Indian Hotels Co. Ltd., a leading hospitality company known for its Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces.

 

"The long duration for which the Taj marks have been in use by the plaintiff, wide geographical area of their use, their knowledge among the general public and their goodwill and reputation due to the extensive promotion, publicity and extensive revenue generated by the plaintiff, in India as well as other countries, the Taj marks have achieved the status of well-known trademarks," said the high court. Justice Amit Bansal said that yet another mark of Indian Hotels Co., 'Vivanta', which was also being used in relation to hotels, had already been declared by the high court as a well-known trademark in 2022.

 

The court noted that Indian Hotels Co., which was incorporated in 1902, is a part of the Tata Group, which is India's oldest, largest, most trusted and best-known business conglomerate. The plaintiff and its subsidiaries bring together a group of brands and businesses in the hospitality industry, including Taj, SeleQtions, Vivanta and Ginger, the court added.

 

The petitioner had opened its first hotel The Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai in 1903, which now enjoys a legacy of over 120 years across consumers and businesses, the court noted. The court's order said that the petitioner was one of the pioneers in the hospitality industry not only in India but also across the globe. The petitioner has a portfolio of about 350 hotels including 118 under development across 4 continents, 13 countries and in over 130 locations, said the order. The petitioner is South Asia's largest hospitality company by market capitalisation and is primarily listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange, the order said.

 

In January, the high court had passed a decree of permanent injunction against one Gaurav Roy Bhatt and others on a trademark and copyright infringement suit by Indian Hotels Co. The petitioner had also pressed for declaring its registered trademark 'Taj' as a well- known trademark under the provisions of Section 2(1)(zg) read with Section 11(6) of the Trademarks Act, 1999. The defendants had not objected to the declaration of 'Taj' as a well-known trademark.

 

At 1221 IST, shares of Indian Hotels Co. were up 3.7% at INR 815 on the National Stock Exchange.  End

 

IST, or Indian Standard Time, is five-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Tanima Banerjee

 

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