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2018 (3) TMI 1433 - HC - Indian LawsMaintainability of petition - Jurisdiction of Court - Compliance with Sec 2(2) of Cost and Works Accountants Act 1959 as amended - petition prayed that the acronym ICOAI be used instead of acronym ICAI which belongs to the third respondent - The first respondent changed their website from ICWAI to ICAI and started representing themselves as ICAI in all its communication with print and electronic media, blatantly misrepresenting to the stake holders by using the acronym ICAI. Whether this Court by exercising the jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India need to go into the dispute with regard to the usage of acronym "ICAI" by both the first and third respondents, especially, when it is an admitted fact that the third respondent themselves have admitted in their counter affidavit that the Trade Mark for the acronym "ICAI" was registered under the Trade Marks Act, 1999 and the Certificate of Registration of Trade Mark dated 11.09.2016, was issued to them to that effect? Held that: - the above question is to be answered in negative and it is held that the third respondent, who sails with the petitioner, has to seek their remedy before appropriate forum by filing appropriate proceedings arising out of infringement of Registered Trademarks or passing off action, if any, as the writ jurisdiction is not the appropriate one, more particularly when the petitioner is not an aggrieved person even. There can be no difficulty in holding that till the name of the first respondent is changed as proposed by them, as stated supra, if they continue to use the acronym "ICAI" and if the third respondent is aggrieved against such usage in view of the registration of such trademark by the third respondent in their favour as discussed supra, certainly, it is for the third respondent to initiate appropriate legal action before the appropriate forum by filing appropriate application under the Trademarks Act - certainly the present writ petition cannot be maintained that too, at the instance of the petitioner, who is only a member of the third respondent more particularly, when the third respondent has not chosen to challenge such alleged infringement before the competent Court of law so far. Needless to state that the Trademark right is a proprietary right and therefore only such owner of the Trademark, if aggrieved against any infringement of such trademark, has locus standi and consequently a cause of action to initiate appropriate proceedings before the appropriate forum against such infringement and to seek the appropriate relief thereunder. Such proprietary right of trademark is a right in personam and not a right in rem. Therefore, the petitioner, though a member of the third respondent, cannot be called as an aggrieved person, even to initiate the proceedings before such appropriate forum against the alleged infringement. The writ petition fails and the same is dismissed only on the ground of maintainability.
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