The Delhi High Court’s recent ruling holding Google liable for trademark infringement over keyword advertising has drawn strong support from Indian startup founders, including Zerodha’s Nithin Kamath and Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu, who say the verdict could curb long-standing practices that divert traffic away from brands.
Reacting to the May 22 judgment in the Hindware-Google case, Zerodha cofounder Kamath said the ruling gives companies a legal remedy against competitors bidding on trademarked brand names through Google Ads. He noted that searches for ‘Zerodha’ displayed competitor advertisements, a practice he claimed has resulted in lost business for the startup.
