{"id":371,"date":"2026-04-15T11:08:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T11:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/billionpreet.com\/blog\/?p=371"},"modified":"2026-04-16T06:11:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T06:11:22","slug":"copy-or-coincidence-court-restrains-use-of-similar-red-battery-packaging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/billionpreet.com\/blog\/copy-or-coincidence-court-restrains-use-of-similar-red-battery-packaging\/","title":{"rendered":"Copy or Coincidence? Court Restrains Use of Similar Red Battery Packaging"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Strengthening Protection for Colour and Trade Dress in India<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a recent and significant development, the <strong>Calcutta High Court<\/strong> granted interim relief in favour of <strong>Exide Industries Limited<\/strong>, restraining <strong>Amara Raja Energy and Mobility Limited<\/strong> from using a red-dominant trade dress for its automotive batteries. The Court found that the competing packaging appeared deceptively similar and could potentially mislead consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This decision reinforces the growing importance of <strong>trade dress and colour-based branding<\/strong> in Indian trademark law and highlights how visual identity can be legally protected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What Was the Dispute About?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Exide claimed that its batteries have long been sold using a <strong>distinctive red colour scheme<\/strong>, which customers strongly associate with its brand. According to Exide, the launch of batteries by Amara Raja in a similar red design created a risk of confusion in the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amara Raja argued that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>No company can claim exclusive rights over a single colour.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Customers rely mainly on technical specifications rather than packaging.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Differences in product details were enough to distinguish the brands.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the Court focused on the <strong>overall visual impression<\/strong>, not minor differences, and found that the similarities were significant enough to create confusion among consumers.<br><br>To know more about this you can follow the link below:<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Your Product Look Can Be Trademarked! | Trade Dress Explained with Indian Court Cases\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/E_Sadr2TUfI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Findings of the Court<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Court highlighted several important legal principles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Colour Can Be Protected:<\/strong> When consistently used over time, colour schemes can become distinctive and act as brand identifiers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Overall Appearance Matters:<\/strong> Courts assess the total visual impression rather than isolated differences.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Consumer Perception Is Crucial:<\/strong> Even in technical markets, visual presentation influences purchasing decisions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Prior Market Conduct Is Relevant:<\/strong> A sudden shift to a competitor\u2019s established visual style may indicate an intention to benefit from their goodwill.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on these factors, the Court upheld the interim injunction restraining the use of similar red packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why This Matters for Businesses<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This ruling carries important lessons for companies across industries:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Your Packaging Is a Valuable Asset<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trade dress\u2014such as colour schemes, packaging design, and layout\u2014can become legally protectable if used consistently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Rebranding Requires Caution<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Adopting colours or packaging that closely resemble a competitor\u2019s brand may lead to legal action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Brand Identity Goes Beyond Logos<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Distinctive visual presentation plays a major role in consumer recognition and legal protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Practical Takeaways for Brand Owners<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Businesses should:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use <strong>consistent colours and packaging<\/strong> across products.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maintain <strong>records of long-term brand usage<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Conduct <strong>proper trademark and trade dress clearance<\/strong> before launching new packaging.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Seek legal advice before making major branding changes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Calcutta High Court\u2019s decision highlights the evolving scope of trademark law in India, particularly the protection of <strong>colour-based branding and trade dress<\/strong>. It serves as a strong reminder that brand identity\u2014whether expressed through logos, packaging, or colour\u2014can be a powerful and legally enforceable business asset.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Strengthening Protection for Colour and Trade Dress in India In a recent and significant development, the Calcutta High Court granted [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[523,74,520,522,168,161,524,154,183,167,521],"class_list":["post-371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-brandidentity","tag-brandprotection","tag-colourtrademark","tag-consumerconfusion","tag-intellectualproperty","tag-iplawindia","tag-packagingprotection","tag-passingoff","tag-tradedress","tag-trademarklaw","tag-trademarklitigation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/billionpreet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/billionpreet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/billionpreet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billionpreet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billionpreet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=371"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/billionpreet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":385,"href":"https:\/\/billionpreet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371\/revisions\/385"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billionpreet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/billionpreet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billionpreet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billionpreet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}