Indian Supreme Court Declines to Interfere in Harpic Bottle Dispute

The Supreme Court of India declined to interfere with a Calcutta High Court order in the ongoing dispute between Reckitt Benckiser (India) and Godrej Consumer Products concerning the Harpic toilet cleaner bottle design. The Court dismissed special leave petitions filed by Reckitt seeking restoration of an ad-interim injunction that had restrained Godrej from marketing its competing Spic product.

The underlying suit alleges trademark infringement of Reckitt’s registered “Harpic bottle and cap” device mark and disparagement through Godrej’s advertisements. Godrej’s product launched in October 2025. A single judge of the Calcutta High Court had initially granted interim relief, but the Division Bench set aside that order on February 27, 2026, observing that its findings were only prima facie and leaving all issues open for final determination after pleadings.

In its October 18, 2026 order, the Supreme Court noted that no conclusive findings had been made by the High Court and affirmed that all issues remain open for consideration by the single judge, uninfluenced by prior observations. The matter will now proceed to trial on the merits of the trademark and disparagement claims.

The decision underscores the Court’s reluctance to intervene at an interlocutory stage in intellectual property matters where lower courts have clarified that their rulings are preliminary.

Sources: https://www.bwlegalworld.com/article/supreme-court-refuses-to-interfere-in-harpic-bottle-trademark-dispute-599146 https://www.livelawbiz.com/top-stories/supreme-court-refuses-to-interfere-in-harpic-spic-bottle-disparagement-trademark-dispute-between-reckitt-and-godrej-527710