Dabur Vs Marico to Court for ‘Trademark Infringement’

NEW DELHI: Dabur has taken rival Marico to the Delhi High Court for allegedly violating trademark and copyright laws by comparing their hair oil products and denigrating its Dabur Amla in a print advertisement.

“It is a case of trademark infringement as well as disparagement of Dabur Amla,” said a person aware of the case. The court issued a notice to Marico and scheduled the next hearing for February 7, the person said.
Another person said Marico ran print ads last week that used pictures of Dabur Amla hair oil and compared it with its Nihar Shanti Amlahair oil.
Mumbai-based Marico’s consumer products include Parachute, Saffola, Nihar Naturals, Livon, Set Wet, Mediker and Revive. Dabur has a portfolio of over 250 herbal and ayurvedic products. A Dabur spokesperson declined to comment, saying the case is sub judice. A Marico spokesperson said its ad did not disparage the rival’s product in any manner.

 

“While the matter in question is sub judice, Marico is legally compliant with all its product advertisements and strongly believes in responsible communication,” a Marico spokesperson said in an emailed response. “In this particular case too, the advertisement factually represents the benefits of our product without disparaging the goodwill of another brand. We also have an acknowledgment on the same from the Advertising Standards Council of India.”