Call it an offer that The Glenwalk couldn’t refuse as Delhi HC has ordered Sanjay Dutt’s whisky venture to back off the ‘Godfather’ name. The court said the label is a dead ringer for Devans Modern Breweries’ long-owned mark and for now, the bottle can’t leave the warehouse!
Passing the injunction, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela ordered Cartel Bros. Pvt. Ltd. to pull the plug on all ‘Godfather’ and ‘Godfather’s’ branding for alcohol. That means ads gone, e-commerce listings down, Instagram posts deleted.
The red flag was a Facebook post. Devans Modern Breweries — makers of Godfather beer since 1984 — spotted an ad for a new ‘Godfather’ whisky backed by Sanjay Dutt. They went to Delhi HC, pointing out that their trademark isn’t just for beer. Their registrations cover the full bar shelf: whisky, rum and other alcoholic beverages.
Facing heat, Cartel Bros. pivoted. During the hearing, it told the Delhi HC it had already rebranded: from ‘The Godfather’ to the mouthful ‘The Glenwalk Godfather’s by Sanjay Dutt’. It offered to withdraw its original trademark application for and sought the court’s nod to proceed with the revised composite label instead. Legal news site Bar and Bench has the details!
The movie connection is baked right into the name and that’s exactly why Devans went to court. Paramount’s The Godfather didn’t win three Oscars to end up on a liquor label. Amitraj Kaushal, advocate at Supreme Court of India breaks down the legal playbook. “Most people don’t think about film titles until there’s a fight! Legally, they’re odd creatures — too short for copyright, but powerful enough to need protection. Indian law won’t give copyright to a title alone. Fair enough. So when that name shows up on a whisky bottle next to a Bollywood face, it’s not homage. It’s appropriation. You’re trading on an identity you didn’t create. The court’s stay is no surprise. Courts here are getting sharper about well-known marks. And shifting industries doesn’t save you — it proves the point. Dilution is dilution. Trademark law exists because goodwill isn’t a public park.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
