Most selling Indian FMCG brand Patanjali Ayurved has dragged Baba Ramdev’s former partner Swami Karamveer owned firm Kalpamrit Ayurved in court for trademark and copyright violations. Patanjali has blamed Maharishi Patanjali Parivar which is the parent company of Kalpamrit Ayurved for infringement of trademark, dilution, copyright, rendition of accounts and damages by selling products that are very similar to Patanjali’s products in title, logo, and packaging.
“Kalpamrit is using ‘Maharishi Patanjali Parivar’ on all its packaging of products and they are copying us,”. SK Tijarawala, a spokesperson from Patanjali said. “We were established in 2006 and they were established in 2015-16…Swamiji (Ramdev) has registered the Patanjali name 25 years ago,” he added.
Swami Karamveer used to be a partner of Ramdev and cofounded Divya Yog Mandir Trust along with Swami Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna. Kalamrit sells many consumer products including honey, jams, mustard oil, spices, soaps, herbal tea, tomato ketchup, toothpaste, shampoo, and juices.
Kalpamrit officials are saying that they have no knowledge about the recent action about this case and no notice has been received by them.
Patanjali had sent a legal notice to Kalpamrit in March 2017 to stop using the Maharishi Patanjali Parivar on the packaging of products. Kalpamrit had replied that “Patanjali is a proper Indian name and an ancient exponent of Raja Yog and the author of Yoga Sutras. So, no one has the copyrights to the trademark in the name Patanjali.
Patanjali has been involved in many controversies in recent days. The ads for its beauty cream and toilet cleaner created buzz everywhere.
Patanjali Ayurved has seen historical growth in past few years and is making other brands like Hindustan Unilever, Colgate and Dabur are working hard to expand their ayurvedic portfolio. However, Patanjali is focussing on other industries such as clothing and solar energy.