Court Clears 'London Pride' in Whisky Trademark Clash with Pernod Ricard

The Supreme Court has delivered a setback to liquor giant Pernod Ricard India, ruling against their plea to block 'London Pride' whisky sales. The court found no deceptive similarity between 'London Pride' and Pernod Ricard's flagship brands 'Blenders Pride' and 'Imperial Blue', citing distinct branding and packaging.

A bench, including Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, upheld the decisions of lower courts, emphasizing that the term 'Pride' is common in the liquor industry. The court highlighted the importance of overall impression and the likelihood of confusion for an average consumer, rather than exact imitation of trademarks.

The verdict stressed that 'Blenders', 'Imperial Blue', and 'London' are visually and phonetically distinct, and the unique trade dress and target consumer base for premium whiskies further reduce potential confusion. The case was remanded to a commercial court for trial, to be concluded swiftly.

(With inputs from agencies.)