Delhi High Court Restrains Firms From Misusing ‘Reliance’ and ‘Jio’ Trademarks On FMCG Goods
The Delhi High Court has granted an ex parte ad-interim injunction in favour of Reliance Industries Limited, restraining 21 entities from unauthorisedly manufacturing, marketing, and selling fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) using the marks ‘RELIANCE’, ‘JIO’ or deceptively similar variants, and from misappropriating the company’s copyrighted packaging designs.
Justice Saurabh Banerjee, while allowing Reliance’s application for urgent interim relief, observed that the prima facie material on record established a deliberate attempt to deceive consumers by falsely associating the defendants’ goods with the plaintiff’s established brand reputation. The court noted that the products in question, items such as poha, flour, makhana, lentils, and salt, were edible goods targeted at a wide range of consumers, including those in rural and semi-literate populations. In such cases, the Court emphasised the need for a more stringent approach to prevent consumer confusion and protect public interest.
The case filed by Reliance Industries, stated that its trademarks ‘RELIANCE’ and ‘JIO’ have been in use since the 1960s and 2011 respectively, and are recognised as “well-known marks” by both the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court. The company alleged that defendants 1 to 21 had been selling infringing goods through online marketplaces using identical or deceptively similar marks and packaging designs, including fonts, colours, layouts, and flame devices, intended to mislead consumers into believing that the goods originated from Reliance.
The defendants, it was alleged, not only mimicked the visual identity of the plaintiff’s registered marks but were also operating in the same FMCG space and selling through similar channels, including major e-commerce websites such as Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, and others named as defendants 22 to 28. The court directed these platforms to immediately delist all infringing listings and provide identifying details of the sellers.
Holding that the plaintiff would suffer irreparable harm and loss of goodwill if interim protection was not granted, the court restrained the defendants from using the ‘RELIANCE’ and ‘JIO’ marks, or any deceptively similar marks or packaging, in any form, be it domain names, meta-tags, or advertising content.
The matter will next be heard on November 13, 2025.
Case Title: Reliance Industries Ltd. v. Pawan Kumar Gupta and Ors.