Summary: The Madras High Court decided that the Karnataka Cooperative Milk Producers Federation has the right to the "Nandini" trademark, stopping an incense company from using it. The court found that the milk federation's use of the name was well-known and could lead to confusion if others used it.
This case took place in the Madras High Court. The decision was made on January 19, 2026, by Judge N. Anand Venkatesh. The Karnataka Cooperative Milk Producers Federation, based in Bangalore, was against Vinod Kanji Shah and Nitin Kanji Shah, who ran Shalimar Agarbatti Company.
The Karnataka Cooperative Milk Producers Federation, known for its "Nandini" brand, opposed Shalimar Agarbatti Company's attempt to register the same name for their products. The federation argued that "Nandini" was already a well-known brand for their milk and dairy products since 1983.
"The appellant has been using the trademark ‘nandini’ for all their products since 1983. As a result, this trademark is a well-known household name in Karnataka."
The court looked into the details and noted that Shalimar Agarbatti Company did not seem to argue back. The milk federation argued that using the same name for incense could confuse people.
The court mentioned a similar case, "Nandhini Deluxe vs. Karnataka Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Ltd.," where it was decided that the name "Nandini" was a common name and could be used by others, but not in a way that would confuse people with the milk products.
"NANDINI/NANDHINI is a generic term, it represents the name of a goddess and a cow in Hindu mythology. It is not an invented or coined word of the respondent."
Judge Venkatesh canceled the earlier order that allowed Shalimar Agarbatti Company to use the name, highlighting the chance for customer confusion because of how similar the names sounded and looked.
"The phonetic similarity and the manner in which the first respondent has written the word ‘nandini’ as its mark would certainly make the offending mark deceptively similar."
The court decided in favor of the Karnataka Cooperative Milk Producers Federation, giving them the exclusive right to the "Nandini" name for their dairy products and preventing any possible confusion in the market.
