Google has approached the Delhi High Court challenging its recent judgment that held the company liable for trademark infringement for allowing advertisers to bid on the registered trademark “HINDWARE” as a keyword on Google Ads.
As per media reports, the technology company is seeking to set aside the court’s direction requiring it to pay Rs 30 lakh in damages to sanitaryware maker Hindware.
The appeal stems from a May 2026 judgment in which the Delhi High Court permanently restrained Google and Google India from permitting the use of the registered trademark “HINDWARE” as an advertising keyword.
Media reports suggest that according to Google’s appeal, the ruling departs from established legal precedents governing keyword advertising in India and internationally. The company argued that advertising keywords function only as internal triggers to match ads with search queries and are not visible to users, adding that its advertising policies are consistent with global industry practices.
Google has further contended that the judgment could adversely affect competition, consumer choice and the broader digital advertising ecosystem by restricting advertisers’ ability to reach consumers searching for competing products and services. The company also argued that the ruling could make India an outlier compared to other jurisdictions that have adopted a different legal approach to keyword advertising.
A Division Bench of Justices V. Kameswar Rao and Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora on Thursday issued notice on Google’s appeal and sought responses from Hindware and the other sanitaryware companies that were parties to the original proceedings. The matter will be taken up for further hearing after the respondents file their replies.
