Snapdeal Gets Involved In Legal Tangle, As Century Textile Sues For Trademark Infringement

Mumbai-based Century Textiles and Industry Pvt. Ltd has filed a case in Bombay High Court on Snapdeal for trademark infringement of one of its products. The company has also sued Snapdeal founders, Rohit Bansal, Kunal Bahl and KK Modi Group company Modicare Ltd.

Century Textiles, part of BK Birla Group, has alleged that Modicare is selling Dhotis (traditional men’s garment), under the brand name ‘Paramsukh,’ which is a registered trademark of the Birlas since 1942.

As per a VCCircle report, the petition mentions, “The defendants are guilty of infringement of the plaintiff’s registered trademark ‘Paramsukh’ and from passing off its goods by use of deceptively similar mark in relation to identical/same description of goods,”

It further adds, “It seems that defendant number1 [Snapdeal] is fully aware that the product which defendant number 4 [Modicare] is trading on their website is (a) duplicate product and brand & logo has been copied from (the) plaintiff’s product,”

Snapdeal has also been accused of denying the details of the seller trading on its website for which they receive commission. As stated by a company spokesperson, “We respect the intellectual property rights of third parties on our website and in accordance with the Report Abuse and Take Down Policy and IT Act 2000, upon being adequately notified, we remove any infringing product listing, which is available on our website.”

The case has already been filed in the Bombay High Court and Justice GS Patel will hear the matter. Kezar Kharawala of Lex Juris Advocates, is representing Century Textiles as their attorney..

Earlier in May 2015, a FIR has been filed against Kunal Bahl, for the sale of prescription drugs online.

The development was first reported by VCCircle.