The Madras High Court on Thursday, November 2, 2023 permitted former franchisees of Sangeetha Caterers and Consultants LLP, to run their restaurants across Chennai city under the brand name of ‘Geetham’, after changing the colour scheme of their logo and issuing advertisements in two newspapers clarifying that they have nothing to do with the Sangeetha restaurants.
The First Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay V. Gangapurwala and Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy passed the orders while disposing of an appeal filed by the former franchisees against an injunction granted by a single judge of the High Court on September 22, 2023 restraining them from continuing to run their business under the brand name of Geetham.
The interim injunction had been granted by the single judge following a civil suit filed by Sangeetha Caterers alleging infringement of trademark by the former franchisees, even after the expiry of the franchisee agreement on May 31, 2022. The plaintiff contended that the customers were being misled, and believedboth Sangeetha and Geetham were the same.
