Bombay High Court declares Shaadi.com a ‘well-known trademark’, awards ₹25 lakh costs in infringement case

The Bombay High Court has ruled that Shaadi.com qualifies as a “well-known trademark” under the Trade Marks Act, 1999, marking a significant win for People Interactive India Private Limited (PIIPL), the company behind the matrimonial platform.

In a judgment delivered on January 6, Justice Arif S. Doctor held that Shaadi.com enjoys exceptional reputation, goodwill and brand recognition in the field of matrimonial and matchmaking services. The ruling came in a trademark infringement suit filed by PIIPL in 2015 against Ammanamanchi Lalitha Rani, who operated the website getshaadi.com, along with the domain registrar and hosting service provider.

“There can be no manner of doubt that the trade mark ‘Shaadi.com’ would qualify as a well-known trade mark,” the court said, adding that any unauthorised or deceptively similar use of the mark or domain name was likely to create an association or trade connection with PIIPL.

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The court found that the defendants had infringed PIIPL’s registered trademark rights by using getshaadi.com for identical services. Justice Doctor noted that the expression “getshaadi.com” subsumed the entirety of the Shaadi.com mark and was clearly intended to cause confusion and dilute the brand’s distinctiveness.

PIIPL argued that it had adopted Shaadi.com as a trademark in 1996 and had been using it commercially since 2000. The company highlighted its scale, pointing to millions of registered users, extensive advertising spend and consistent growth over the years. The court accepted these submissions, observing that Shaadi.com had grown from revenues of around ₹26.6 crore in 2005–06 to ₹91.7 crore in 2012–13, alongside advertising and promotional expenditure exceeding ₹172 crore globally during that period.

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A key factor in the ruling was evidence showing that the defendants used “shaadi.com” as a meta tag and keyword, diverting more than 73 percent of web traffic, according to a web analytics report placed before the court. Justice Doctor said this demonstrated a clear intent to ride on PIIPL’s goodwill and reputation.

As the defendants failed to appear despite repeated notices, the matter proceeded ex parte. The court granted a permanent injunction restraining the defendants from using getshaadi.com or any deceptively similar mark or domain name. It also directed them to hand over all infringing materials for destruction.

While PIIPL had sought ₹10 lakh in damages, the court ordered the defendants to jointly pay ₹25 lakh as costs within 12 weeks, with interest at 8 percent thereafter. Emphasising the need for meaningful consequences, Justice Doctor said costs must be “realistic and compensatory” so that successful litigants are not left bearing the financial burden of enforcing their rights.

The court further held that Shaadi.com’s reputation extends beyond the matrimonial sector, noting that its use even in unrelated goods or services could lead consumers to assume a trade connection with PIIPL, a key test for granting well-known trademark status.