10 Jul. 24: The Bombay High Court has directed Patanjali Ayurved Ltd. to deposit Rs. 50 lakh as a penalty for violating an injunction order in a trademark infringement case brought by Mangalam Organics Ltd., reported Live Law.
Mangalam Organics had filed a commercial IPR suit against Patanjali, alleging passing off and copyright infringement related to their camphor products. On August 30, 2023, the High Court had issued an ad-interim order restraining Patanjali from selling these products. However, Mangalam Organics claimed that Patanjali continued to breach this order.
In an affidavit dated June 2, 2024, Patanjali Ayurved offered an unconditional apology and pledged to comply with the court’s orders. Despite this, Rajneesh Mishra, a director at Patanjali, admitted in the same affidavit that camphor products worth Rs. 49,57,861 were sold after the injunction order.
Justice R.I. Chagla noted Patanjali’s admission of the breach and emphasized that the defendants must rectify their contempt of the injunction order. Evidence showed that camphor products were sold as recently as July 8, 2024, and were still listed on Patanjali’s website. The Court declared such persistent violations intolerable.
Before issuing a contempt order, the Court instructed Patanjali to deposit Rs. 50 lakh with the Prothonotary & Senior Master of the Court within a week. The matter is scheduled for further consideration on July 19, 2024.
