{"id":11742,"date":"2022-08-31T06:06:49","date_gmt":"2022-08-31T06:06:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/?p=11742"},"modified":"2022-08-31T06:06:52","modified_gmt":"2022-08-31T06:06:52","slug":"trademark-infringement-remedies-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/trademark-infringement-remedies-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Trademark Infringement Remedies in India"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In India, trademark regulations are governed by the Trademarks Act 1999. Trademarks are a type of Intellectual property and hence need to be protected. A person will be infringing a trademark when he tries to make unauthorised use of any mark that is deceptively similar or identical to a registered trademark. In such issues, the similarity of the trademark is adjudged by the fact if an average man sees the brand, he might get confused regarding the actual brand of the goods and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2e4fe353b3a\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2e4fe353b3a\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/trademark-infringement-remedies-in-india\/#What_are_the_Types_of_Trademark_Infringement\" title=\"What are the Types of Trademark Infringement?\">What are the Types of Trademark Infringement?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/trademark-infringement-remedies-in-india\/#What_acts_shall_be_considered_Trademark_infringement_in_India\" title=\"What acts shall be considered Trademark infringement in India?\">What acts shall be considered Trademark infringement in India?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/trademark-infringement-remedies-in-india\/#What_are_the_acts_that_do_not_amount_to_Trade_mark_infringement_in_India\" title=\"What are the acts that do not amount to Trade mark\ninfringement in India?\">What are the acts that do not amount to Trade mark\ninfringement in India?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/trademark-infringement-remedies-in-india\/#Remedies_for_trademark_Infringement\" title=\"Remedies for trademark Infringement:\">Remedies for trademark Infringement:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/trademark-infringement-remedies-in-india\/#Conclusion\" title=\"Conclusion:\">Conclusion:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_the_Types_of_Trademark_Infringement\"><\/span>What are the Types of Trademark Infringement?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two types of Trademark\ninfringement. These are direct infringement\/ indirect infringement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Direct Infringement:<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Section 29 states the conditions under which it can be said to have committed direct infringement. These are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Use of the Trademark by an\nunauthorised person:<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This type of\nviolation takes place when a person uses the trademark who is not permitted or\nnot authorised to use the registered trade mark. If an authorised person uses\nthe trademark, it won&#8217;t amount to infringement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>When the mark is Identical\nor deceptive:<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If an\nunauthorised person uses a mark that is identical\/similar to an already\nregistered trade mark, it shall be considered a trademark infringement. The Act\nspecified the term &#8220;deceptively similar&#8221;, \u2013 which means that the mark\nshould be so similar that it would be difficult for an average person to\ndistinguish between the two brands. If the registered trade mark holder can\nprove that there is a scope of misrecognition, then the trademark shall be\nconsidered to be infringed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Registered Trademark:<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The Trademark act secures the interest of registered trademark holders. The trademarks must be registered with the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/trademark-registration\" class=\"text-primary\">trademark registration<\/a><\/strong> of India. If the matter involves dealing with the breach of unregistered trademarks, then the courts shall give the decision based on the common law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Use of Goods and Services:<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The trademark\ninfringement is said to be committed if the unauthorised use of the trademark\nin question is used to provide goods and services under the same registered trademark\ncategory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Indirect\nInfringement:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Act does not\ndeal with Indirect infringement. However, this does not mean that no \u2013recourse\ncan be provided in such cases. The trademarks&#8217; infringement are universal and\nshall hold the violator liable and any person who abets or induces anyone to\ninfringe. We can classify indirect infringement into two types these are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Vicarious liability:<\/strong> section 114 of the Act states that when a brand commits an offence,\nthe entire company shall be held liable for the offence. So, along with the\nprincipal infringer, the entire company shall be liable for &#8216;Indirect\nInfringement&#8217;. During a vicarious liability, if the master (company) can\ncontrol the actions of the employee (infringer), then it shall be deemed that\nthe company themselves have made that infringement. However, a company shall\nnot be held for vicarious liability of an infringement if the company acted in\ngood faith and didn&#8217;t know about trademark infringement.<\/li><li>Contributory infringement: contributory elements include three\nthings<\/li><li>The person must have knowledge\nabout the infringement<\/li><li>the person has contributed in\nsome way to that infringement<\/li><li>If the person induced someone\nto commit infringement.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Contributory\ninfringement cannot claim the defence of good faith as a contributory infringer\ncannot act in good faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_acts_shall_be_considered_Trademark_infringement_in_India\"><\/span>What acts shall be considered Trademark infringement in India?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>If the trade mark in question is deceptively similar or somewhat identical to a registered trademark that renders the same goods or services.<\/li><li>Such similarity in the trademark will lead to confusion in the minds of the general public that the new mark is associated with the old mark.<\/li><li>The trademark in question is part of the business&#8217;s name in relation to goods and services of which the trade mark is registered.<\/li><li>If the trade mark through advertisement receives an unfair advantage and goes against the practice of good faith or is injurious to the reputation of the registered trademark.<\/li><li>If any person uses the registered trademark for packaging and labelling of goods without the permission or proper authorisation from the registered trademark holder.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_the_acts_that_do_not_amount_to_Trade_mark_infringement_in_India\"><\/span>What are the acts that do not amount to Trade mark\ninfringement in India?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Section 30 of the Act specifies that all\nacts don&#8217;t amount to trade mark infringement. These steps can also be used as a\ndefence in trademark infringement cases. And in some cases, the liability of\nthe infringer can be reduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li><strong>If the trade mark is being used to depict quality, quantity and the kind of goods and services:<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>If the infringed trademark is used to depict the quality, quantity or kind of goods and services. In a famous case involving two brands, Rich&#8217;s whip topping and Bell&#8217;s Whip topping, the court ruled against the trademark holder bells whip topping as the name &#8220;whip topping&#8221; indicated the type of goods and services the brand sold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li><strong>No mark that is outside the scope of registration should be used:<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>If registered\nnames contain words that are very common in day-to-day use, then the proprietor\ncannot claim the right of infringement against such names. For example, in the\ncase of &#8220;ABC Daily market&#8221;,- in this case the words daily and market\nare commonly used phrases; hence Trademark infringement cannot be claimed\nagainst these words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li><strong>Matters where there is an implied consent:<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>In some\nsituations, it might happen that a proprietor uses a mark for certain goods and\nservices that the registered user had applied for. In some situations, it even\nhappens that the trade mark has not been removed, or the parties at a time,\nthrough express or implied consent, may have been given permission to use that\ntrademark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li><strong>Registered trade mark used for Accessories and parts:<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>If a registered\ntrademark has segment relation to any goods, services, parts or accessories and\nif this is considered to be reasonably necessary, the effect of such would not\nbe considered an infringement of the original trademark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li><strong>If two registered trademarks are identical to  each other:<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Where two or\nmore registered trademarks are similar to each, then each trade mark holder has\nthe right to use their specific registered trademark, and this act won&#8217;t amount\nto infringement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Remedies_for_trademark_Infringement\"><\/span>Remedies for trademark Infringement:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Two types of remedies shall be available to\na proprietor in case of trademark infringement these are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Civil Remedies <\/li><li>Criminal  Remedies<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ol><li><strong>Civil Remedies:<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Issuing Injunctions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The injunction\nmeans when the court stops an individual from doing a particular activity. In\ncase of trade mark infringement, the court shall stop the person from making\nunauthorised use of the trademark. Courts usually take this recourse when the\nproceedings are going on, and it is unclear whether the infringement has taken\nplace or not. During this, the court may order a temporary injunction to halt\nany profit being made by the accused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Awarding Damages:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many times it\nhappens that an individual has to suffer a lot of losses because of the\nwrongdoings of other in such cases, the court award compensation to the victim.\nThis is known as awarding damages. So, when a person infringes the right of\nothers, the court can also award damages. Mostly, the damages awarded are more\nthan the loss suffered by the registered trademark holder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Destruction &amp; Sealing of the Goods:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When a trade mark\nis infringed, then in such cases, the court has the power to ask the local\ncommissioner to go and seal the material of the infringed trade mark and\naccounts connected to them. The court even has the power to direct the police\nofficers to destroy the infringing material. Or the infringed goods and\nproducts might be asked to be delivered to the court of law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Restoration of reputation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lastly, in the\nmatters of civil litigation, the courts can ask the infringer to take adequate\nsteps to restore the proprietor\/business\/company&#8217;s reputation that was\ndestroyed because of the infringer&#8217;s actions. The trade mark infringers in the\npast have apologised through advertisements or by giving a public statement to\nrestore the customers&#8217; faith in the company whose trade mark was infringed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li><strong>Criminal Remedies<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Trademark\ninfringement is a cognisable offence under the Trademark Act, 1999, and an FIR\ncan be filed against the infringer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Imprisonment:&nbsp; <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Section 103 of\nthe Trademark Act state that anyone who is found to be guilty of trademark\ninfringement shall be imprisoned for a period of six months which can be\nextended for a period of three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fine: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Section 104 of the Trademark act state that a fine can be imposed on infringement cases. It states that a fine of \u20b950,000 can be imposed on it, which can be extended up to \u20b92, 00,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fine for continual\/subsequent offences:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If a person is found to be a repeated violator under sections 103 &amp; 104, then he shall be liable to an enhanced penalty as per section 105 of the <strong>Trademarks Act 1999<\/strong><sup><a href=\"https:\/\/ipindia.gov.in\/acts-rules-tm.htm\" class=\"text-primary\"><strong>[1]<\/strong><\/a><\/sup>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Seizure of power:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A court can\norder the seizure of power of the infringer so that the abovementioned\nprovisions can be carried out smoothly. However, this procedure must be carried\nout by the law as per the provisions laid down by the law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\n\nTrademark Act regulates trade mark laws in India. It also has provisions\nfor the trademark infringement specified in it. The trade mark infringement\nlaws have been clearly defined, specifying what acts amount to trademark\ninfringement and what shall not. Additionally, various recourse is available to\nthe registered trademark holder whose mark has been infringed. The aggrieved\nperson has an option to have remedies in both civil and criminal forms\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In India, trademark regulations are governed by the Trademarks Act 1999. Trademarks are a type of Intellectual property and hence need to be protected. A person will be infringing a trademark when he tries to make unauthorised use of any mark that is deceptively similar or identical to a registered trademark. In such issues, the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":11746,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[72],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11742"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11742"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11748,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11742\/revisions\/11748"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}