SupremeToday Landscape Ad
Back
Next
Judicial Analysis Court Copy Headnote Facts Arguments Court observation
Listen Audio Icon Pause Audio Icon
judgment-img

1999 Supreme(Bom) 115

IN THE HIGH COURT OF BOMBAY
S.S. Nijjar, J.
Mahesh Jayalal Dadhia another..... Plaintiffs.
Versus
M/s. Thio Pharma others ..... Defendants.
Notice of Motion No. ....... of 1999 in Suit No. 576 of 1999, decided on 16/17-2-1999.
Advocates appeared :
Ravi Kadam with Rajendra Barot i/b Dhruve Liladhar Co., for the plaintiffs.
J.B. Chinoy with Salil Shah i/b Gajria Co., for the defendants.

Headnote:Rules 147 and 14S-Notice of motion-Suit for infringement of trade mark-Suit used as tool for bargaining in division of family property-It would be in the circumstances wholly inequitable to grant relief of injunction to the plaintiff.- The circumstances of the case made it abundantly clear that the suit for infringement of the trade mark or for passing off was merely being used as a tool for bargaining in the division of the family property. It was accepted by the parties and in fact it was pleaded in the plaint that defendant No.1 had filed a suit in the District Court at Bali, Rajasthan claiming similar reliefs against the plaintiffs herein which suit was pending. In the aforesaid suit the plaintiffs therein and defendant No. 1 herein were claiming to be exclusive owners of the Trade marks of the Dadhia family. In such circumstances, it would be wholly inequitable to grant the relief of injunction to the plaintiff.

       Rules 147 and 148-Parties must make true and full disclosure of all relevant facts for decision on issues involved in the case.-It is the bounden duty of the parties to disclose all the facts which may be relevant for the decision on the issues involved in the case. Even the facts that may be apparently against the party have to be stated. After stating the facts it can certainly be pleaded that the facts pleaded do not have any effect on the merits of the case put forward by the parties. But the parties are bound to state all the facts which may have a bearing on the decision of the decision of the case.

JUDGMENT - S.S. NIJJAR, J.:---Leave under Rules 147 and 148 of the High Court of Judicature at Bombay (O.S.) Rules, 1980 is granted to the plaintiffs to take out the Notice of Motion in terms of the draft Notice of Motion handed in. Notice of Motion made returnable forthwith. Defendants have been served and affidavits in reply and rejoinder have been filed. By consent of the parties, the Notice of Motion is being disposed of finally at this stage.

2. By this suit, the plaintiffs are seeking an order restraining the defendants from manufacturing, selling and/or trading their pharmaceutical products bearing the trade marks BROSMIN, ACTIZYME, ENERPRO, PRESTIGESIC and/or PRESTIFEN or any other mark identical and/or deceptively similar thereto as, according to the plaintiffs, the defendants are not entitled to use the same.

3. Plaintiff No. 1, defendant Nos. 2, 3 and 4 are members of the same family. They are partners in the family 'partnership firms being plaintiff No. 2 and defendant No. 1. Defendant No. 2 is the brother of the first plaintiff. Defendant No. 3 is the sister-in-law of the first plaintiff and defendant No. 4 is the niece of the first plaintiff. They are members of a family known as Dadhia family. This family owns several firms, companies, properties and plaintiff No. 1 along with his father and his four brothers including defendant No. 2 were carrying on business as a joint family known as "Dadhia group". The business of the Dadhia family is spread over various cities in India, including Mumbai.

4. In the year 1981 when the entire business of the family was being jointly conducted, defendant No. 1 commenced the use of trade mark BROSMIN. At that time, plaintiff No. 1 was one of the partners of defendant No. 1. Since the year 1981 the mark BROSMIN has been in continuous use on an extensive scale. Defendant No. 1 had made an application for registration of the trade mark which was subsequently abandoned. It was decided by the Dadhia family that the products manufactured by defendant No. 1 shall be marketed by a Company viz. Synthiko Formulations Pvt. Ltd., hereinafter referred to as "the Marketing Company". It is the common case that BROSMIN by continuous use on an extensive scale has acquired enviable reputation and goodwill in the market. Differences and disputes arose amongst the members of the Dadhia family. In the year 1995 the dispute came to be resolved at the intervention of the father of plaintiff No. 1 and defendant No. 2. On 29th May, 1995 an agreement was arrived at between all the male members of the Dadhia family including plaintiff No. 1 and defendant No. 2. 'This agreement' shall hereinafter be referred to as "the family arrangement." By this family arrangement, various businesses and properties of the Dadhia family have been separated. By Clause 1 of the family arrangement it is provided that M/s. Syrup Thio-kof Mfg. Com. (India), Bombay is a manufacturing concern of pharmaceutical formulations and products. All the products are marketed by the marketing Company. Both these Companies were looked after by the plaintiff. It provides that whatever patent or proprietory medicines, registered or not registered, under the Trade Mark Act and marketed by the marketing Company, those all products belonged to the plaintiff. It further stipulates that with effect from 1-4-1994 the plaintiff has full right and responsibility for profits and losses for manufacturing the product under the label of Syrup Thio-kof Mfg. Com. (India). This clause also provides that the aforesaid Company is not provided or given to any single partner of the firm. Thus all the trade marks have been given to plaintiff No. 1. The entity of the firm continues to hold the assets of the said firm. The partnership continues. Clause 2 of the agreement pertains to defendant No. 1. This clause provides that the products manufactured by defendant No. 1 and marketed by the marketing Company belonged to the plaintiff. It also provides that from 1-4















Click Here to Read the rest of this document

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
SupremeToday Portrait Ad
supreme today icon
logo-black

An indispensable Tool for Legal Professionals, Endorsed by Various High Court and Judicial Officers

Please visit our Training & Support
Center or Contact Us for assistance

qr

Scan Me!

India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!

For Daily Legal Updates, Join us on :

whatsapp-icon Back to top