Defending An Iconic Mark: ‘Old Monk’

In a recent law suit filed by Remfry & Sagar on behalf of Mohan Meakin Limited, the High Court of Delhi has passed an interim injunction order restraining the defendants from manufacturing, marketing, distributing and selling beer under the mark CRAFTY MONK.

The court observed that the marks OLD MONK and CRAFTY MONK were deceptively similar and based its ruling on Mohan Meakin’s statutory rights and goodwill in the mark OLD MONK for alcoholic beverages on account of its trademark registrations, decades old prior use and extensive sales. The court also clarified that the defendants cannot sell or distribute goods under the mark CRAFTY MONK or any other mark deceptively similar to OLD MONK which are on the high seas and bound towards India.