Madras High Court Rules for Nandini Milk in Agarbatti Trademark Dispute

• Madras High Court set aside a 2010 order rejecting Karnataka Milk Federation's (KMF) opposition to the 'nandini' mark for agarbattis.
• Justice N Anand Venkatesh ruled that the proposed agarbatti trademark was deceptively similar to KMF’s long-standing ‘NANDINI’ brand.
• The Court found that the agarbatti manufacturer used the same word and visual style, likely to mislead consumers despite different product categories.
• KMF has used the ‘NANDINI’ mark since 1983 for milk and dairy products, enjoying widespread recognition and goodwill.
• The ruling distinguished this case from a 2018 Supreme Court decision, noting the absence of distinguishing features in the agarbatti brand.

Why It Matters: Madras High Court protected KMF's 'NANDINI' trademark, preventing its use for agarbattis due to deceptive similarity.