IndiGo Initiates Legal Action Against Mahindra for ‘6E’ Trademark Use
IndiGo Airlines has filed a case against Mahindra Electric Automobile Limited in the Delhi High Court. The litigation involves a new electric vehicle, the BE 6e, which Mahindra launched with the registration code “6E.” IndiGo, which has used the code “6E” in its callsign and as its brand identity, has now had to approach the judiciary to safeguard its trademark rights.
The dispute arose when Mahindra Electric got the trademark registration of the “BE 6e” mark in class 12 for motor vehicles on November 25, 2023. This approval came when Mahindra had just unveiled its electric vehicle lineup in the market. Earlier in 2015, IndiGo registered the trademark 6E Link for several services. Now, the airline claimed that Mahindra’s use of a similar mark would skeptical its brand and confuse the customers.
Legal Actions and Possible Consequences
The lawsuit was initially introduced before Justice Amit Bansal, who declined to hear the case. The next hearing is set for December 9th. The proceedings, however, saw IndiGo’s legal counsel, Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi, point out that Mahindra had reached out for a discussion on the matter, hence showing interest in resolving the issue friendly.
Suppose the judgment goes in favor of IndiGo. In that case, Mahindra might have some problems, ranging from having their trademark removed to even a complete redesign of the electric vehicles division. Trademark protection is a significant factor in the vulnerability-centered automotive and airline industries, where competitive brand identities are critical to consumer and market-related factors.
Impact on the Industries
This legal experience shows a convergence of interest between several industries, such as aviation and the automobile industry, which is widespread since companies are getting into different new technologies, including electric vehicles. The result of this case may determine how the domain of trademarks is viewed when there is interaction between two or more industries.
