The Delhi High Court has restrained five eateries and food delivery joints across the country from using the name “Veerji” or similar variants, ruling in favour of the popular Delhi-based restaurant chain Veerji Malai Chaap Wale in a trademark infringement case.
Justice Amit Bansal, in an order dated July 8, held that the defendants—operating food joints in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haridwar, and Raipur, and listed on platforms such as Zomato and Swiggy—had infringed upon the restaurant’s registered trademarks by using identical or deceptively similar names such as “Veer Ji Malai Chaap Wale”, “The Veer Ji Malai Chaap Wale”, and “Veere Di Malai Chaap and Kathi Kabab”.
The court noted that the defendants failed to contest the suit or offer any defence despite being served an interim injunction earlier. Proceeding ex parte since December 2023, the eateries made no effort to challenge the plaintiff’s claims.
“The conduct of the eateries and food delivery joints not only warranted but also necessitated imposition of both costs and damages,” the court observed, affirming that Veerji Restaurant had successfully established its rights over the “Veerji” trademark through extensive and continuous use, strong market presence, and consumer goodwill.
The court found that the infringing parties had “deceived unwary consumers” and taken “unfair advantage” of the plaintiff’s established reputation, amounting to both trademark and copyright infringement, as well as “passing off” their services as those of the original Veerji brand.
Awarding compensation, Justice Bansal directed each of the five defendants to pay Rs 1 lakh, totalling Rs 5 lakh, as damages and costs to the plaintiff.
