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Synopsis

The Delhi High Court has directed Google LLC to suspend certain URLs linked to fraudulent Google Forms falsely claiming to offer invitations for a 'Starbucks franchise.' Notably, Starbucks does not operate on a franchise model in India.

Justice Anish Dayal ruled in favor of Starbucks, asserting that the relief sought was justified due to impostors using these forms to extract private information and data from the public.

"In the opinion of this Court, the plaintiffs would be entitled to the relief they seek in this application, on account of not only that these Google Forms are being posted by imposters in order to elicit information relating to Starbucks franchises (which do not exist in India) as well as seeking private information and data from the general public, which cannot be countenanced," the court ordered.

The suit stemmed from a trademark and copyright infringement suit initiated by Starbucks, wherein the court had previously granted an interim injunction in April 2023. Subsequently, Starbucks discovered entities impersonating franchisees through fraudulent Google forms, leading to the recent application for the suspension of related URLs.

Starbucks' counsel emphasized that these impostors were attempting to gather information from the public under the guise of applying for non-existent Starbucks franchise opportunities in India.

Google LLC's counsel expressed no objection to the relief sought, provided the listed URLs were directly related to the subject matter of the ongoing lawsuit.

After confirming that the listed URLs in the plaint exclusively pertained to Google Forms soliciting information for Starbucks franchises, the court ordered the suspension of these URLs within a week.

Case Title: Starbucks Corporation and Anr. v. National Internet Exchange of India and Ors.