Indian consumer products major Dabur India Ltd. has filed a lawsuit against rival Marico Ltd. with the Delhi High Court alleging the violation of copyright laws, Marico disclosed in a Feb. 1 filing to the Bombay Stock Exhange.
Dabur claims that Marico's advertisement for its Nihar Shanti Amla brand hair oil infringed on Dabur's trademark and copyright for Dabur Amla hair oil in addition to disparaging the product, according to the filing.
Marico said it accepted notice of the lawsuit Jan. 29, adding that its impact is "not material."
Marico's filing came in a response to a BSE request seeking clarification regarding a Jan. 31 report about the matter in The Economic Times (India). The report cited a source familiar with the case who said Marico's hair oil advertising used images of the Dabur Amla product and compared that to its own brand.
A Marico spokesperson said in an email to the newspaper that the advertisement "factually represents the benefits of our product without disparaging the goodwill of another brand."
