Metro Brands Ltd., one of India’s leading footwear speciality retailers, has successfully defended its trademark “Mochi” in a case of the alleged infringement. The Bombay High Court declared “Mochi” a “well-known mark” under the Trademarks Act in a lawsuit against Nice Shoes LLP, which had been using the mark “DESIMOCHI” for its products and website.
Metro Brands filed the case, arguing that the use of “DESIMOCHI” was likely to confuse consumers and harm the reputation of its “Mochi” brand, which has been a recognized name in India since 1977. The Court ruled that the addition of the prefix “DESI” did not sufficiently differentiate the marks and granted an interim injunction against Nice Shoes LLP. The ruling also mandated the transfer of the domain “www.desimochi.com” to Metro Brands.
“We are pleased with the Court’s decision, which reaffirms the strength and recognition of the ‘Mochi’ brand in India,” said Deepa Sood, Vice President Legal and Company Secretary at Metro Brands Ltd, adding “We will continue to take strong legal measures to protect the integrity of our brands and maintain the trust that our customers have placed in us for decades.”
This ruling underscores Metro Brands’ ongoing commitment to protecting its intellectual property rights and combating trademark infringement to safeguard consumer trust.
About METRO Brands Limited
METRO Brands is one of the largest Indian footwear speciality retailers and is amongst the aspirational Indian brands in the footwear category. The Company opened its first store under the METRO brand in Mumbai in 1955 and has since evolved into a one-stop shop for all footwear needs, by retailing a wide range of branded products for the entire family, and for every occasion including casual and formal events.
In addition to men’s, women’s, and kids’ footwear, it also has a wide range of handbags, belts, wallets, etc. METRO Brands retails footwear under its own brands of METRO, MOCHI, WALKWAY, DA VINCHI AND J. FONTINI, as well as certain third-party brands such as CROCS, FITFLOP, FILA, SKECHERS, CLARKS, PUMA and ADIDAS which complement its in-house brands.
The METRO footwear range is specially curated based on regional sensitivity to cater to the needs of different regions. As of September 30, 2024, the Company operated 871 Stores across 198 cities spread across 31 states and union territories in India. METRO Brands Ltd also opened the first FOOTLOCKER store in India on October 19, 2024, in Nexus Select City Walk, Saket, New Delhi.
