Delhi High Court Rejects Plea Against Patanjali’s Cow-Urine Floor Cleaner Trademark

The Delhi High Court has dismissed a petition seeking cancellation of Patanjali’s trademark “Patanjali Gonyle Floor Cleaner”, which is used for floor cleaners made from cow urine.

Justice Tejas Karia rejected the plea filed by the Holy Cow Foundation under Section 57 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999. The Court held that the NGO failed to prove prior use of its claimed mark or show that consumers were likely to be confused.

The Court observed that when the mark is seen as a whole, along with the prominent Patanjali Ayurved house name, it is neither identical nor deceptively similar to the petitioner’s mark. As a result, the conditions for cancelling the trademark were not met.

The Holy Cow Foundation had claimed it was using the mark “Gaunyle” for a cow-urine-based floor cleaner since 2013 and alleged that Patanjali’s “Gonyle” mark was copied to benefit from its goodwill. Patanjali, however, argued that it had been using the mark since 2008 and that its brand name clearly distinguishes the product.

The company also questioned the invoices submitted by the NGO, pointing out date inconsistencies that suggested the documents were unreliable. The Court agreed, noting that the evidence suffered from serious inconsistencies and could not be trusted.

In view of these findings, the Delhi High Court dismissed the rectification petition and upheld Patanjali’s trademark.