The Delhi High Court has issued a directive to shut down numerous websites accused of misappropriating the trademark of the cryptocurrency investment platform Mudrex, and defrauding customers. The order came in response to a lawsuit filed by RPFAS Technologies Private Limited, the company behind Mudrex, targeting various anonymous entities behind these deceptive sites.
Justice Mini Pushkarna presided over the case, granting an ex-parte ad-interim injunction to prevent further misuse of the Mudrex trademark. This decision was driven by the urgent need to mitigate irreparable damage to the plaintiff, as these unauthorized parties were using the Mudrex trademark to lure investors into fraudulent schemes on their platforms.
The court’s injunction specifically prohibits the unknown defendants, referred to as John Doe or unknown parties, from using Mudrex’s trademarks or any similar marks across any goods or services, which would amount to trademark infringement and passing off. “Defendant no.10 is directed to take down the infringing websites within 48 hours of passing this order,” stated Justice Pushkarna.
Additionally, if these parties fail to comply with the takedown order, the court has empowered competent authorities to block access to the infringing websites immediately. The urgency and severity of the court’s directive underscore the significant threat posed by these fraudulent activities to both consumers and the rightful trademark holder.
RPFAS Technologies provided the court with a list of 38 websites that have been allegedly exploiting the Mudrex brand to deceive the public, tricking them into investing large sums of money and sharing sensitive personal documents like Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and bank statements. This misuse not only led to financial losses for individuals but also caused significant reputational and goodwill damage to the Mudrex brand.
