Anupam Mittal slams Big Tech after Bombay HC ruling against Shaadi.com lookalikes

Shaadi.com founder and Shark Tank India judge Anupam Mittal has taken aim at Big Tech companies in a LinkedIn post following a favourable ruling by the Bombay High Court against entities misusing the Shaadi.com name through lookalike domains.

The court ruled in favour of People Group, holding that several entities had adopted deceptively similar domain names to mislead users and unfairly benefit from the brand’s reputation. In its order, the Bombay High Court recognised Shaadi.com as a “well-known trademark” under Section 2(1)(zg) of the Trade Marks Act, 1999, extending its protection beyond its core business category and awarding costs and interest to the company.

Reacting to the judgment on LinkedIn, Mittal described the ruling as a rare but important stand against domain squatters and digital impersonation. He said brands are built over decades through sustained investment, consistency and consumer trust, but are increasingly vulnerable to entities that copy brand recall to divert traffic and revenue.

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In the same post, Mittal criticised global technology companies, including Google, Apple, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft, alleging that their advertising and search ecosystems have enabled what he termed “free-riding” on established trademarks. According to him, the monetisation of brand keywords and lookalike domains has allowed copycat operators to thrive while undermining the companies that originally created consumer demand.

Mittal argued that the court’s decision goes beyond an individual legal victory and signals a shift in how Indian courts view intellectual property in the digital economy. He said the ruling affirms that trademark protection is fundamental to preserving brand trust and economic value, rather than being a narrow legal technicality.

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He reiterated the message in a separate post on X, calling the verdict a strong signal that enforcement of intellectual property rights in India is becoming more robust. The decision, he said, is relevant not only for Shaadi.com but for Indian brands facing similar challenges online.