Indian Supreme Court Refuses to Interfere in Harpic Trademark Dispute

The Supreme Court of India dismissed special leave petitions filed by Reckitt Benckiser (India) seeking to reinstate an ad-interim injunction against Godrej Consumer Products in a dispute over the Harpic toilet cleaner bottle shape and related advertisements. The Court left all issues open for determination by the Calcutta High Court.

The underlying suit, filed in February 2026, alleges trademark infringement of the distinctive Harpic bottle and cap device mark and disparagement through Godrej's competing product launched in October 2025. A single judge of the High Court had initially granted the injunction on February 25, 2026. The Division Bench set it aside on February 27, 2026, noting tentative observations that the grievance centered more on disparagement, recording Godrej's undertaking to discontinue impugned ads, highlighting visible differences in product appearance, and questioning the scope of trademark protection for bottle shapes post-design protection expiry.

The Supreme Court bench observed that the Division Bench's findings were prima facie and that pending interlocutory applications could be decided after pleadings and affidavits. It affirmed that no conclusive findings had been made and dismissed the petitions without examining merits at this stage.

The ruling maintains the status quo pending further proceedings in the High Court.

Sources: https://www.bwlegalworld.com/article/supreme-court-refuses-to-interfere-in-harpic-bottle-trademark-dispute-599146 https://www.bwlegalworld.com/