The Delhi High Court (HC) has quite recently ordered Mohit Petrochemicals Pvt Ltd (a service provider of laboratory chemicals, acetone, and food-grade chemicals) to stop making use of the ‘Devtol’ mark for manufacturing and selling its hand sanitizers. In its ruling, the Delhi HC has stated that the ‘Devtol’ mark infringes upon the logo and trademark of the well-known antiseptic, Dettol. Furthermore, the court has imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh on the company and has directed to deposit the complete amount to the Juvenile Justice Fund within a week.
The Delhi HC’s decision has come on the Trademark Infringement lawsuit filed by the manufacturer of Dettol, Reckitt Benckiser (India) Pvt Ltd, seeking a permanent injunction against Mohit Petrochemicals Pvt Ltd for selling hand sanitizers under the brand name ‘Devtol.’ The widely known antiseptic, Dettol, is sold in the markets under the logo and Registered Trademark ‘Dettol.’
The Delhi HC ruled in favor of Reckitt Benckiser (represented by Chander Lall (Senior Advocate) and lawyer Nancy Roy) after the defendant said in a statement that it would not any longer manufacture or sell the product (hand sanitizer) under the infringing ‘Devtol’ mark.
The hand sanitizer, ‘Devtol,’ claimed that it gave protection from COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
Mohit Petrochemicals Pvt Ltd’s counsel, Umesh Mishra, has recently stated that the company has taken all the required steps to withdraw the infringing mark and has already asked all its dealers and agents to withdraw the product (hand sanitizer) bearing the infringing mark from the markets.