Castrol Limited Vs . Sanjay Sonavane:CS(COMM) 855/2025:High Court of Delhi:19.08.2025: Hon'ble Judge Justice Tejas Karia
Castrol Limited, a global leader in engine oils and lubricants, sells products in India under its well-known trademarks and packaging. Castrol uses marks like “3X,” “3X PROTECTION,” “3XCLEAN,” and “3 IN 1 FORMULA.” The Defendants, however, claimed exclusive rights over their own “3P” mark and alleged copyright infringement. They threatened Castrol and its distributors with legal proceedings, published a public notice warning the public, and even caused police seizure of Castrol’s genuine products, leading to an FIR against Castrol’s Indian subsidiary and its distributor.
The dispute was whether Castrol’s use of “3X” related marks infringed the Defendants’ “3P” marks or copyright. Castrol argued that the threats were false and unjustified under Section 142 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999 and Section 60 of the Copyright Act, 1957, and sought an injunction against such groundless threats.
The Court held that Castrol’s “3X” marks were completely different from the Defendants’ “3P” marks, and the Defendants could not claim monopoly over the number “3.” The seizure and public notice amounted to groundless threats. The Court found a prima facie case in Castrol’s favour and restrained the Defendants from issuing any further threats or legal actions against Castrol, its Indian subsidiary, or distributors regarding use of the “3X” marks until the next hearing.
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Written By: Advocate Ajay Amitabh Suman, IP Adjutor [Patent and Trademark Attorney], High Court of Delhi
