Pakistani firm faces legal action for using Manish Malhotra trademark

Celebrated Indian designer Manish Malhotra has approached a legal forum in Pakistan against one

of the country's well-known textile firms, for using the 'Manish Malhotra' trademark. The move was to stop his esteemed customers from getting confused since the designer’s ensembles are very popular in Dubai, where affluent Pakistanis often come to shop for haute couture.

The plea, filed in Pakistan's quasi-judicial trademark and copyrights authority, claims that under the Trademark Ordinance 2001 of Pakistan, Manish Malhotra is a well-known trademark without having to require registration or actual use in the form of sales of goods or services under the trademark in Pakistan. Over the past five years, Malhotra's business has escalated with a compounded growth of 30 percent annually.

However, he has to face such problems when imitations happen in places like New Jersey, Canada, Dubai and Pakistan. In the said case, Malhotra is willing to settle the matter out-of-court and so has not disclosed the name of the offender yet. According to a complaint filed by the Indian fashion designer, the Pakistani firm has applied for the trademark 'Manish Malhotra' in Pakistan to sell fabrics/towels, embroidered cloth products, printed clothes, cotton, woolen, silk, among other things.