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Mint
19-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
‘Operation Sindoor' trademark applications filed in India, US, UK: What does it mean?
Several applications have been filed to trademark 'Operation Sindoor' -- the codename for India's military strikes against Pakistan. According to a report, trademark applications were recently filed in the US and the UK, and at least 14 have been filed in India. In the US, Rohith Baharani, an individual based in New York, filed a trademark application on May 9, 2025, Bar and Bench reported. The application was reportedly filed on an 'intent to use' (ITU) basis. This means that the applicant has not yet used the mark in commerce but intends to do so. The application is currently awaiting examination by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) under US Classes 100, 101, and 107, which relate to certification and service marks. Meanwhile, in the UK, the country's Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) recorded an application for the same mark on May 8, 2025. It was filed by Vikas Mahajan, a resident of Devon, England. This application spanned Classes 35, 38, and 41 — which include advertising, telecommunications, and education-related services, according to Bar and Bench. As per the report, 13 different individuals and entities filed trademark applications for 'Operation Sindoor' in India as of mid-May 2025. One application was filed by Jio Studios, but was withdrawn later. The applications span a variety of sectors, including apparel, media content, and services. Earlier in May, Mukesh Ambani's film studio was the first to apply for the mark, but the application was withdrawn the next day after the companies received extensive backlash over the move. Jio Studios, a Reliance Industries unit, clarified in a statement that the trademark application was filed inadvertently by a junior person without authorisation and asserted that they have no intention of trademarking Operation Sindoor. Reliance's statement came hours after some social media users posted screenshots of the Indian government website showing some individuals and Reliance had filed applications for trademark registration. "This isn't branding, it's blatant mockery ... It's disturbing to see something so serious being reduced to a joke," posted an X user who identified herself as Archana Pawar. A trademark application is a formal request filed with a government agency, like the Intellectual Property India, to register a specific mark (a logo, name, phrase, etc) as a trademark. Trademarks contribute to brand reputation and consumer trust. A business is identified by its unique brand elements, such as logo, name, colour scheme, etc. So, a trademark can be any word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination of these things that identifies your goods or services. It's how customers recognise a business in the marketplace and distinguish it from competitors. A registered trademark is a mark that is officially recognised and recorded in the trademark registry maintained by the Intellectual Property India authorities. Trademark Registration enables an individual to gain exclusive rights and legal protection over the use of that particular symbol, name etc. It provides protection throughout the country and safeguards against unauthorised use. In India, military operation codenames like 'Operation Sindoor' are not automatically protected as intellectual property by the government, Bar and Bench reported. The Ministry of Defence does not typically register or commercialise these names. These names are not secured under any special statutory IP framework. As a result, unless the government expressly intervenes, such names remain open to trademark claims by private individuals or entities. However, the Trade Marks Act, 1999, empowers the registry to reject trademarks that are misleading, offensive or contrary to public policy. Moreover, rights acquired abroad are "territorial in nature" and do not extend to India unless a separate application is filed or an international registration is designated under the Madrid Protocol, Bar and Bench said. According to the report, India, the US, and the UK are all signatories to the Madrid Protocol. It enables trademark owners in one member country to seek protection in other member countries through a single international application. 'Operation Sindoor' is a codename India used for the precision strikes it conducted inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir on May 7. At least nine terror camps were targeted and 100 terrorists were killed in the military operation. Operation Sindoor was conducted in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attacks. India claimed Pakistan links were established in the attacks. The codename 'Operation Sindoor' carries asymbolic message. Sindoor is the Hindi word for vermillion, which married Hindu women often apply to their foreheads. 'Operation Sindoor' is perhaps India's revenge on behalf of the widows of Pahalgam terror attack. All the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, that killed 26 people, were men.
Hindustan Times
19-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
People in US, UK enter race to claim ‘Operation Sindoor' trademark: Report
Petitioners from the United States and the United Kingdom have also entered the race to claim the trademark for the phrase 'Operation Sindoor," for a range of sectors including entertainment, media and broadcasting, reported the Bar and Bench. As of mid-May 2025, at least 14 applications have been filed in India requesting to claim the trademark for various segments across entertainment-related services like audio and video content. Reliance Industries Ltd was among the early ones to file the applications, however, later it withdrew stating that it was filed 'inadvertently' by a junior employee 'without authorisation'. In the US, Rohith Baharani, a New York-based individual, submitted a trademark application on May 9 under International Class 041, which is designated for a 'trademarked entertainment title for licensing,' according to Bar and Bench. The filing was made on an 'intent to use' (ITU) basis—indicating that while the mark is not yet in commercial use, there are plans to utilize it in the future. The application is currently under review by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) within U.S. Classes 100, 101, and 107, which cover certification and service marks, the Bar and Bench report said. Meanwhile, in the UK, Vikas Mahajan, a resident of Devon, England, filed for the same mark on May 8, 2025, with the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO). His application spans Classes 35, 38, and 41, covering advertising, telecommunications, and education-related services. If either application is approved, the registrants will gain exclusive rights within their respective countries for the registered classes. These rights include the ability to enforce against unauthorised use, license the trademark commercially, and initiate infringement actions. However, trademark protection is territorial—meaning ownership in the US or UK doesn't automatically confer rights in India unless a separate filing or the mark is protected under an international registration through the Madrid Protocol. "Operation Sindoor" is a military codename given to a recent cross-border strike by the Indian armed forces launched on May 7 in the wake of a terror attack in J&K's Pahalgam. The name was chosen with intention — and profound emotion. The terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which took the lives of 26 people, most of them male tourists, left devastation in its wake. Grieving wives, still adorned with sindoor (the traditional mark of marriage) were seen mourning, their lives forever changed in a moment. That haunting image resonated deeply across the nation. The operation was named 'Sindoor' as a tribute to those women. Defence minister Rajnath Singh had earlier said that the name 'Operation Sindoor' is the brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In India, the government does not automatically own the intellectual property rights to military codenames. However, under the Trade Marks Act, 1999, the body can reject the applications that are offensive, misleading or against the public interest.
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Business Standard
19-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
'Operation Sindoor' trademark applications filed in US, UK, India
Trademark applications for the phrase 'Operation Sindoor'—India's coordinated missile strikes on terrorist infrastructure—have been filed in the United States, the United Kingdom, and India, Bar and Bench reported. These applications cover services such as media, broadcasting, and entertainment. In India alone, 14 applications have been filed for the phrase under different classes. This follows recent reports that Reliance Industries, along with three other applicants, filed a trademark application under Class 41 of the Nice Classification, which includes media, cultural, educational, and entertainment services. However, the company later issued a clarification, stating it has no intention of trademarking the term. Operation Sindoor, conducted on May 7, refers to the coordinated missile strikes carried out by the Indian armed forces on terrorist infrastructure at nine locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strikes were in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists. Following the attack, the term garnered attention not just in India but also internationally. In the United States, a trademark application was filed on May 9, two days after the strikes, by Rohith Baharani, a New York-based individual. The mark has been filed as a service mark under International Class 041, which covers 'providing a trademarked entertainment title for licensing or sale to production companies, streaming services, or distributors'. The application was filed on an 'intent to use' (ITU) basis, implying that the applicant has not yet used the mark in commerce but intends to do so. It is currently awaiting examination by the United States Patent and Trademark Office under US Classes 100, 101, and 107, which relate to certification and service marks, the report added. Another application was filed in the United Kingdom on May 8 by Vikas Mahajan, a resident of Devon, England. The application was received by the UK Intellectual Property Office and spans Classes 35, 38, and 41, which include advertising, telecommunications, and education-related services. The report further stated that, as of mid-May, 13 different entities and individuals had applied to trademark the phrase. It is worth noting that in India, the names of military operations are not protected by the government as intellectual property. Such names are not automatically secured under any special statutory IP framework. Unless the government intervenes, the names of such operations remain open to trademark claims by private individuals and entities.
