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2008 Supreme(Del) 512

AIR 2008 DELHI 137
BADAR DURREZ AHMED, J.
Schrender S.A. and Anr.
VERSUS
Twinkle Luminaries Pvt. Ltd.
CS (OS) 114 of 2006
Decided On:0- 6 -5 -2008.

Advocates Appeared:
Sushant Kumar with Ms. Anju Aggarwal, for Plaintiffs; V. P. Ghypriya, for Defendants.

Headnote:Designs Act, 1911

       Section 53 - Piracy of registered design--Suit for permanent and mandatory injunction for restraining the defendant–-Plaintiff was registered proprietor of design in dispute--Plaintiff alleged that the defendants design has infringed the plaintiffs said design--Question arose whether the registered design in question had already been published in India by various third parties--Defendant failed to discharge the onus of proving that the said registered design was already been utilized in India--It was admitted position that the defendant has not filed any application under Section 51 of the Act seeking cancellation of the resisted design--Court held that plaintiffs were entitled to decree of mandatory injunction in respect of their said registered design--Hence, decree passed in favour of plaintiff and against defendant.

       Designs Act, 1911

       Section 53 - Company incorporated in Belgium--Defence of prior publication can only be taken in a suit filed under Section 53 of the said Act, when the defendant has already moved an application under Section 51A of the Act seeking cancellation of the registered design--Prior publication as a fact not established--Held that plaintiffs are entitled to a decree of mandatory injunction.

ORDER :- The plaintiff No. 1 is a company which has been incorporated in Belgium and engaged in the business of photo metrically controlled luminaries and various lighting products, including street lighting fixtures and floodlights and claims to have worldwide operations. The suit has been instituted through Mr. S.K. Dutt, who is the Constituted Attorney of plaintiff No. 1. The plaintiff No. 2 is an Indian Company and has been authorized by the plaintiff No. 1 to use the technology of the plaintiff No. 1. The plaintiff No. 2 is the sole distributor of the plaintiff No. 1's products in India by virtue of an agreement dated 5-12-2002.

2. It is claimed by the plaintiff No. 1 that it is the registered proprietor of several designs in India under the provisions of The Designs Act, 1911 in respect of luminaires which include design registration Nos. 170084, 182340 and 182343. It is alleged that the said design registrations are valid and in force and they have been renewed from time to time. Originally, the plaintiff No. 1 was known as Financiere Des Applications De L'Electricite S. A. and the design registrations were under that name. Subsequently, the name of the plaintiff No. 1 was changed to its present name i.e., Schreder S. A. The design registration No. 170084 pertains to the plaintiffs product known as RT3. The design registration Nos. 182340 and 182343 relate to the plaintiffs product known as Gema.

3. It is alleged by the plaintiffs that sometime in September, 2004, the plaintiff No. 2 came to learn of the sale of identical luminaires by the defendant and corresponding to the plaintiffs' design known as Gema. A photograph of the luminaires of the defendant installed at Baba Kharag Singh Marg, New Delhi, was taken and the same has been filed along with the plaint. It is the contention of the plaintiffs that the design of the defendant's said luminaires is an imitation of the plaintiffs' designs known as Gema which relate to design registration Nos. 182340 and 182343. The plaintiffs issued a cease and desist notice dated 9-9-2004 through their advocates to the defendant. The defendant in their reply dated 13-9-2004 opposed the contentions of the plaintiffs and refused to cease and desist. Around the same time, the plaintiffs came to learn that the defendant is also selling and offering for sale luminaires corresponding to the RT3 design which related to design registration No. 170084. In these circumstances, the present suit has been filed by the plaintiffs, inter alia, for the following reliefs :-

"(a) A decree for permanent injunction restraining the defendant, its servants, agents and/or assigns from infringing registered Design Nos. 170084, 182340 and 182343 of the plaintiffs, by manufacturing, selling, offering for sale and stocking for sale lighting fixtures of Design Registration Nos. 170084, 182340 and 182343;

(b) A decree for permanent injunction restraining the defendant, its servants, agents and/or assigns from manufacturing, selling, stocking for sale, offering for sale, marketing, advertising, distributing or in any other manner dealing with luminaires bearing the shape, configuration and get-up of plaintiff No. 1 luminaires registered under Design Nos. 170084, 182340 and 182343 or having any similar design;

(c) A decree of mandatory injunction directing the defendant to deliver upon affidavit all tools and dyes, stocks, etc. of all specific tooling (moulds), goods produced but not yet distributed products and parts thereof for purpose of destruction; and,

(d) A preliminary decree of accounts, followed by a final money decree, directing the defendant to render accounts of the profits made by it by using the plaintiff No. 1's design registration Nos. 170084, 182340 and 182343 on its products."

4. The defendant filed his written statement on 8-3-2006 in which the defendant raised several issues. It was contended by the defendant that the design No. 170084 is of a tunnel light fixture and is being marketed by the plain













































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