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2003 Supreme(Del) 1222

High Court Of Delhi
STANDARD ELECTRICALS LIMITED - Appellant
Versus
ROCKET ELECTRICALS - Respondent
I.T.A. 3314 of 2003
Decided On : 12/12/2003

Advocates Appeared:
A.K.GOHIL, Mohan Vidhani, PRATIBHA M.SINGH, RAJIV NAYAR

Headnote:Trade mark — Interim injunction — Infringement and passing off action — Deceptive similarity — Balance of convenience — Ex parte ad interim injunction — Both plaintiff and defendant dealing in electrical goods — Trade mark of plaintiff STANDARD and that of defendant MS STANDARD — Defendant earlier selling its goods under the trade mark MAX STANDARD since 1979 as instructed by court in judicial proceedings — Several parties other than the defendant using the word STANDARD, though not a defense in passing off action, there was no question of any confusion or deception — Both the parties advertising their products under the respective trade marks in the same journals, diaries, yellow pages, print and visual media since long and their advertisements published in same newspapers — Defendant not using the trade mark STANDARD simplicter — Though it may be said that there is prima facie case in favor of plaintiff in view of its prior user, balance of convenience not in its favor — Ex parte interim injunction order vacated — Trade and Merchandise Marks Act, 1958, Sections 28, 29 — Civil Procedure Code, 1908, Order 39, Rules 1 & 2.

Mahmood Ali Khan, J.

( 1 ) THIS order will dispose of IA 3314/03 filed by the plaintiff under Order 39 Rules 1 and 2 CPC for grant of ad-interim injunction for restraining the defendants from manufacturing, selling, offering for sale or in any manner using the trade mark MS STANDARD or any other mark identical/ deceptively similar to the plaintiffs trade mark STANDARD, in relation to the electrical switchgear including MCBs, isolators, RCCBs, distribution boards, FR PVC wires, MCCBs, switch disconnector fuses, changeover-rewirable-double break switches, HBC fuses and plugs and sockets etc. and/or cognate and allied goods and further from doing any other thing as may constitute passing off and acts of unfair competition and from doing any act as may result in dilution of the plaintiffs trade mark and trade name and IA 3843/03 filed by defendant No. 2 under order 39 Rules 3 and 4, CPC for vacating the ex-parte ad-interim injunction order dated 21. 3. 2003 whereby the defendants were restrained, as requested by the plaintiff in IA 3314/03 above-mentioned.

( 2 ) IN the passing off action suit, the plaintiff has sought permanent injunction in the same term in which interlocutory injunction was prayed for in IA 3314/03. In addition, a prayer was also made for decree of damages for a sum of Rs. 5,50,000/-in favour of the plaintiff against the defendants and further a decree for rendition of accounts of the profit earned by the defendants and further a decree directing the defendants to deliver all the products bearing the infringed trade mark MS STANDARD etc. The allegations made in the plaint, in brief, are that a Company in the name of Indo Asian Traders (P) Limited was incorporated in 1958. Its name was changed thrice and lastly, it was changed to Standard Electricals Limited, the plaintiff herein. The plaintiff is a leading manufacturer of wide range electrical equipments, i. e. , electrical switchgear including mcbs, isolators, RCCBs, distribution boards, FR PVC wires, MCCBs, switch disconnector fuses, changeover-rewirable-double break switches, hbc fuses and plugs and sockets etc. The products of the plaintiff are sold under the trade name STANDARD and they have acquired unparallel reputation on account of wide publicity and extensive advertisements. The plaintiff is proprietor of registered trade mark STANDARD in relation to its goods since 1958. It has six trade mark registrations in its favour, as detailed in para-5, which are iat Standard . standard S in triangle india , standard Kopp , standard Switchgears . standard (in logo form) and standard Switchgear life guards in power . Except the first mark, others have been renewed from time to time. They are more than seven years old and are exclusive and valid. Recently, the Company has been taken over by Havell s group. Initially 60% of the Company s equity was purchased in April, 2000 and on 1. 1. 2002, the remaining 40% was taken over. Now the plaintiff is a part of Havell s group, which is extremely well known in the field of electrical equipments. Apart from the trade mark right in the word standard , the plaintiff is also the owner of the copyright in the packaging of various products. The plaintiff is also the owner of the copyright in various logos/devices used by it and its products. The figure of sale of the plaintiffs products under the trade mark STANDARD have risen from 17. 23 crores in 1992-93 to 39. 47 crores in the year 2001-02. The products of the plaintiff are being sold in India and also in many other countries, as detailed in para-10 of the plaint. The plaintiff has been spending huge sums of money on advertisements and publicity. The plaintiff spent Rs. 3. 7 crores in the last ten years on publicity and advertisements. The trade industry and the public identify the word standard with the plaintiff and the plaintiff alone, especially in relation to electrical equipment, the plaintiff is so well known under the trade mark STANDARD that mere mention of





































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