Now Reading: SC directs Matrimony.com and Jodi365 to explore settlement in trademark row
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SC directs Matrimony.com and Jodi365 to explore settlement in trademark row
SC directs Matrimony.com and Jodi365 to explore settlement in trademark row
The Supreme Court has directed Matrimony.com and Free Elective Network, operator of Jodi365, to explore a settlement in their trademark dispute over the name 'Jodii'. The direction came after Matrimony.com offered to rename its app 'Jodi Matrimony' to avoid shutting down the service and impacting existing users. The bench comprising Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe expressed disinclination to interfere with the Madras High Court order that restrained Matrimony.com from using the Jodii mark.
The dispute began in 2021 when Matrimony.com launched a Tamil-focused matchmaking app named Jodii. Free Elective Network sued, arguing that Jodii was deceptively similar to its registered trademark Jodi365, which it has used since 2009. In July 2022, a single judge of the Madras High Court dismissed the suit, ruling that Jodi is a common descriptive word and cannot be monopolised. However, a division bench overturned that ruling in August 2024, granting a permanent injunction against Matrimony.com but rejecting Free Elective's claim for Rs 1 crore in damages.
Matrimony.com challenged the division bench order in the Supreme Court. Its counsel Amit Sibal argued that Free Elective's trademark registration does not cover Class 45, which includes matrimonial services, and that Jodi is a generic word meaning 'couple' or 'pair' in several Indian languages. Free Elective's counsel Gopal Sankaranarayanan countered that the platform has used Jodi365 continuously since 2009 and approached the court soon after Matrimony.com launched Jodii. The Supreme Court has kept Matrimony.com's plea pending while the parties attempt a settlement.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The two inc42.com reports, both from the same outlet, frame the story neutrally. The first report focuses on the legal reasoning behind the Madras High Court division bench's ruling, detailing how it overturned the single judge's decision. The second report covers the Supreme Court's direction for a settlement and highlights Matrimony.com's offer to rename the app. Neither report adopts a pro-government or critical stance. The coverage is straightforward legal reporting, laying out each side's arguments without favour. The key development to watch is whether the parties reach a settlement or return to court, which could set a precedent on the protectability of descriptive words in trademarks.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): inc42.com (neutral report), inc42.com (2) (neutral report)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
