Ahmedabad: Japan’s Sony in trademark battle with Sony Footwear

A footwear shop owner, Mohammed Iqbal Patangiya at Teen Darwaza, has been in a legal battle with Japanese multinational Sony Corporation for over two decades with the company suing the shopkeeper for infringement on its trademark rights.

Sony Kabushiki Kaisha, which is trading as Sony Group Corporation, had filed the trademark suit in March 1999 against Patangiya for having his shop named as Sony Footwear. The shop exists in one of the Old City markets near Teen Darwaza.

As the case remained pending for decades, the case was numbered once again in December 2021 for placing of evidence on part of the plaintiff company, which has been alleging that Sony has been its registered trademark and it has been doing business under this trademark worldwide and has generated tremendous goodwill. Next hearing on this issue has been scheduled in July.

Sony has invoked Section 29 and 135 of the Trade Marks Act claiming violation of its rights and seeking to restrain the shop owner from conducting his business under this trademark. Patangiya’s advocate Narendra Tahilramani said that the Japanese company has filed the case, but it was not dealing in footwear merchandise when the court was approached.

Name Soni or Sony common’
Mohammed Iqbal Patangiya lawyer says, “Besides, the word Sony or Soni is a common name here. For use of such a common word in the name of a shop, one cannot be termed violator of trademark rights. “
The lawyer also said that the word on which the company has alleged infringement of trademark rights is also used by a certain community as a surname. The footwear shop has recently put up a new display board with word ‘Soni’, which is a surname commonly used by goldsmiths for their surname.
Source:https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/japans-sony-in-trademark-battle-with-sony-footwear/articleshow/90808861.cms