In a significant ruling, the Delhi High Court has quashed the forgery case filed by Anchor Health and Beauty Care Pvt. Ltd. against Colgate-Palmolive India Ltd. The case centered around allegations that Colgate had engaged in forgery and manipulation to claim exclusive rights over a red and white trade dress for their toothpowder cans.
Background of the Case
Anchor Health and Beauty Care alleged that Colgate had forged documents and used misleading practices to assert rights over the red and white color combination in their product packaging. Anchor argued that this color scheme was not distinctive enough to warrant exclusive rights under the Designs Act, 2000, and claimed that Colgate’s actions constituted forgery.
Court’s Decision
The Delhi High Court ruled in favor of Colgate, determining that Anchor’s evidence was insufficient to substantiate the serious charges of forgery. The court emphasized that accusations of this nature require substantial proof, which Anchor failed to provide. This verdict brings closure to the legal dispute over the trade dress of their toothpowder products and highlights the challenges in intellectual property disputes within the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector.