Reliance backtracks on Op Sindoor trademark

MUMBAI: Reliance Industries withdrew its application to trademark "Operation Sindoor" - the codename for India's military strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan - on Thursday after facing social media outrage.On Wednesday, RIL filed an application with India's patent registry under class 41, seeking to use the phrase for entertainment services like content creation, sporting activities, and live performances, shortly after India launched Operation Sindoor. The company blamed a junior executive from Jio Studios, its entertainment arm, for inadvertently filing the application without authorisation. RIL said it has no intention to trademark Operation Sindoor.The Communist Party of India posted on X: "After massive criticism and pressure, Reliance withdraws its application for the Operation Sindoor trademark. But why blame a junior functionary for what is the trademark of profit before all else?"After RIL's initial move, three more parties also filed for registration of the term on Wednesday. Mumbai resident Mukesh Chetram Agrawal, retired Air Force captain Kamal Singh Oberh, and Delhi-based lawyer Alok Kothari. The applications indicated they want to use the phrase commercially."Registering event terms as trademarks is not uncommon, but the number of such precedents is very low," said Aendri Legal's partner Ashish Pyasi. "Operation Sindoor as a trademark may not be granted by the patent registry because the event is now a historical event that occurred due to govt actions, not on account of any private person who can claim exclusivity," Pyasi said.In India, code names for military operations are not automatically protected. Govt does not register or sell these names.And so, they can be claimed as trademarks by private parties. However, the Trade Marks Act allows rejection if the name suggests false links with national defense or offends public feelings. Sunil Jose from Suns Legal called this ‘moment trademarking’ on LinkedIn. He said filing applications on the same day as the military strikes is like newsjacking or moment marketing. “Some applicants may mistakenly believe that trademark registration is like domain registration: if a domain is available, you can buy it and become the owner. But trademarks work differently.” Jose said applications face multiple levels of scrutiny by the government and the public, with safeguards in place to prevent the misuse of national sentiments. “Operation Sindoor falls into this category, and applicants for this term have wasted their money on government fees,” he said.