TT Industries, a Delhi-based trading company established in 1955, obtained an ex-parte interim injunction from the Delhi High Court restraining Audi AG from using the mark “TT” in connection with the sale of sporting articles, accessories, bags, leather and faux leather goods, and toy cars in India. TT Industries claims to deal in a wide range of goods including fashion and export textiles, agro-products, ready-made garments, textile piece goods, hosiery items, yarns, edible foods, confectioneries, wind mill equipment, sweets, hand tools, small machineries, cosmetic items, medical products, surgical aids, band aids, electronic and electrical apparatus, agricultural implements, bags, and building materials, which are available through online and offline channels across the country.<\/p>\n
The Delhi High Court issued an ex-parte interim injunction restraining Audi AG from using the name “TT” as a brand name for its goods in India. The Court took the view that use of TT as a brand by Audi AG would amount to trademark infringement, as the trademark TT had already been registered by TT Industries. TT Industries claims to be a well-known multi-product global brand operating in 65 countries, and states that it has registered the mark “T.T.” in almost all classes. TT Industries has been using the trademark since 1968 and obtained its first registration in 1970. Eighty-seven trademark applications by TT Industries have received registration. Audi AG was directed to file its reply by November 2015.<\/p>\n
The Audi TT is a sports car produced by the Volkswagen Group. The name originates from NSU (Neckarsulm Strickmaschinen Union) and its participation in the British Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (TT) motorcycle race. NSU began competing in the TT race in 1911 and subsequently merged into what is now known as Audi. The name “Audi TT” has also been attributed to the phrase “Technology & Tradition”.<\/p>\n
The case illustrates the potential for trademark conflicts where a well-established Indian mark and a globally recognised foreign brand share an identical designation across different classes of goods. The outcome of the main proceedings before the Court would determine whether the coexistence of the two marks in India is sustainable.<\/p>\n
This article is for general information and does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult a qualified attorney before acting on any matter discussed here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Delhi High Court has issued an interim injunction restraining Audi AG from using the TT mark for selected goods in India, supporting TT Industries’ trademark rights. The order underscores the strength of prior registration and the scope of protection for Indian trademark holders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":39,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,22,11],"tags":[7431,7433,486,4713,6864,41,5718,7432],"class_list":["post-26804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-intellectual-property","category-ip-commercialization-licensing","category-trademarks","tag-audi-tt","tag-automotive-trademarks","tag-delhi-high-court","tag-ex-parte-injunction","tag-india-ip-law","tag-trademark-infringement-2","tag-trademark-injunction","tag-tt-industries"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bananaip.com\/intellepedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bananaip.com\/intellepedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bananaip.com\/intellepedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bananaip.com\/intellepedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bananaip.com\/intellepedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26804"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.bananaip.com\/intellepedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149900,"href":"https:\/\/www.bananaip.com\/intellepedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26804\/revisions\/149900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bananaip.com\/intellepedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bananaip.com\/intellepedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bananaip.com\/intellepedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}