In a trademark battle in Kerala, JSF Holdings Private Limited, the company behind the well-known Lazza ice cream and food brand used since 1990, sued Taste Box for opening a restaurant-cum-bakery under the name Hazza at Kalamassery near Ernakulam. The company claimed Hazza was too similar to Lazza in sound, spelling and colour scheme, likely to mislead customers and ride on its goodwill even though the businesses focused on slightly different food services. After the Ernakulam Additional District Court granted a temporary injunction in September 2025 stopping Taste Box from using the name, the restaurant owner appealed to the Kerala High Court arguing the marks were different enough, their restaurant specialised in Malabar and Middle Eastern cuisine, and no real confusion existed. Justice S. Manu examined the overall look, sound and business overlap, applied settled principles from Supreme Court cases on how ordinary customers remember brands, and found a strong prima facie case of deceptive similarity and passing off. The court held that the balance of convenience favoured protecting Lazza’s reputation and that allowing Hazza to continue would cause irreparable harm to JSF Holdings. The appeal was dismissed, upholding the injunction against Taste Box using the disputed name.
Title: TASTE BOX v. JSF HOLDINGS PRIVATE LIMITED, Order date: 10.04.2026, Case Number: F.A.O.No.1 of 2026, Neutral Citation: 2026: KER : 32745, Name of court: High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam, Judge: Justice S. Manu.
Disclaimer: Donot treat this as substitute for legal advise as it may contain subjective errors.
Written By: Advocate Ajay Amitabh Suman, IP Adjutor [Patent and Trademark Attorney], High Court of Delhi
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