In a significant legal ruling, the Delhi High Court has granted an injunction in favor of Tata Power Solar Systems Limited, restraining four imposter domains from using the company’s well-known trademarks. Justice Amit Bansal delivered the decision on February 13, emphasizing the protection of intellectual property rights in the face of blatant trademark infringement.
The case came to light after Tata Power Solar Systems Limited filed a complaint against the registrants of domains including www.tatapowersolardealership.co.in, www.tatapowersolars.com, www.tatapowersolars.org, and www.tatapowersolarroof.com. These websites were accused of illegally exploiting the ‘TATA’ and ‘TATA POWER SOLAR’ trademarks, both of which are registered and hold a reputable stance in the market.
During the proceedings, it was revealed that the imposter sites had not only copied the Tata trademarks but were also offering services directly competing with those of Tata Power Solar. The defendants used the trademarks in a manner that was likely to confuse consumers, thereby leveraging the goodwill and reputation established by Tata over many years.
Justice Bansal’s order stated, “A bare perusal of the impugned domain names and email addresses used by the defendants makes it apparent that the defendants have slavishly copied the plaintiffs’ registered and well-reputed trademark ‘TATA’ and ‘TATA POWER SOLAR’ formative marks. The products of the said defendants bearing the impugned marks are being used for identical services, i.e., solar energy solutions.”
Highlighting the severity of the infringement, the court declared it a “clear case of infringement,” where the imposter domains took unfair advantage of Tata’s trademarks to deceive unwary consumers.
The court issued a decree of permanent injunction against the defendants, effectively stopping them from using the disputed domain names. It was further ordered that the domain www.tatapowersolarroof.com be suspended immediately, with the information that the other two domains had already been suspended prior to the court’s decision.
