Court restrains defendants from operating multiple infringing websites, orders suspension of domain names, and directs disclosure of infringing party details to protect plaintiff's intellectual property rights
In a significant ruling delivered on September 14, 2026, the Delhi High Court granted an ex parte ad interim injunction in favor of Signatureglobal (India) Limited, a leading real estate development company, restraining the defendants from using its registered trademarks and copyrighted materials in various domain names and websites. The injunction was passed in a suit filed by Signatureglobal alleging infringement and passing off by unauthorized use of its well-known trademarks and proprietary content.
Signatureglobal, a publicly listed company with an extensive presence in the NCR and North India real estate market, holds several registered trademarks under classes 36 and 37, including the mark SIGNATUREGLOBAL and its associated logos. The company claimed that the defendants, led by Ashok Kumar and others, had dishonestly incorporated these registered trademarks into their domain names and websites such as signatureglobalfloors.co.in, signatureglobalnoida.in, and signatureglobalbuilders.com, among others. Further, they were accused of reproducing copyrighted project renders, photographs, promotional materials, and other proprietary content, falsely representing an association with Signatureglobal's luxury projects in collaboration with Tonino Lamborghini.
The plaintiff's counsel submitted that this unauthorized use was causing confusion among the public and trade, amounting to trademark infringement under Section 29 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999, and passing off. The defendants were found to have no license or authorization to use the trademarks or copyrighted works, and the registrant details of some infringing websites were masked, preventing identification of the actual operators.
The Court, after considering the plaintiff's evidence and submissions, held that a prima facie case for infringement was made out. The balance of convenience favored the plaintiff, and irreparable harm would ensue if the injunction was not granted. Consequently, the defendants were restrained from registering, operating, hosting, or advertising any domain names or websites incorporating the plaintiff's registered trademarks or copyrighted work, whether as standalone marks or in combination with other words or representations.
The Court also directed various domain registrars and hosting service providers, including GoDaddy.com LLC, Hosting Concepts B.V. (Openprovider), HOSTINGER Operations UAV, NAMECHEAP, and WIX.com Ltd., to lock and suspend the impugned domain names within 72 hours of receiving the order. Additionally, these defendants were ordered to disclose in sealed, password-protected documents all available details of the infringing party, including contact and payment information, within four weeks to aid enforcement.
This injunction was granted without requiring the plaintiff to undergo pre-institution mediation, an exemption permitted under Section 12-A of the Commercial Courts Act, 2015, due to the urgency of the relief sought and supported by recent Supreme Court precedents.
The Court further laid down procedural directions regarding summons, filing of written statements, and document inspections to ensure a fair trial. The defendants were given time to comply and respond to the suit, which is now set for further hearings.
This ruling underscores the judiciary's robust stance on protecting intellectual property rights and curbing online infringement and misuse of well-established trademarks and copyrighted content, especially in the digital and domain name context.
Bottom Line:
Intellectual Property - Unauthorized use of registered trademarks and copyrighted materials - Court granted an ex parte ad interim injunction restraining the defendants from operating or dealing with domain names that infringe the plaintiff's registered trademarks and copyrighted content.
Statutory provision(s):
Trade Marks Act, 1999 Section 29, Civil Procedure Code, 1908 Order XXXIX Rules 1 and 2, Commercial Courts Act, 2015 Section 12-A
Signatureglobal (India) Limited v. Ashok Kumar /John Doe, (Delhi) : Law Finder Doc Id # 2979990
