The trademark dispute between Britannia Industries and French dairy and beverages giant, Groupe Danone is reaching a crucial stage as the matter is expected to come up in Court in Singapore early next week. The parties have the option of reaching a settlement at a pre-trial conference or going in for a full trial.
The conflict is around the attempts of Danone [which holds a 25.5 per cent indirect stake in Britannia through a holding company Associated Biscuits International Holdings (ABIH)] to register Britannia’s trademark Tiger biscuits in over 70 countries.
The case is indicative of more than IP though as it’s an important point of disagreement between the Wadia and the Danone group both of which have a stake in ABIH.
The two are in talks to hammer out their differences but there is also an arbitration case between the two pending at the Bombay High Court. If talks fail, arbitration could take place in London where ABIH is officially registered.
The repercussion of this could be that Danone is forced to exit the biscuit market in India and make a solo entry eventually.
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