For nearly five decades, Yezdi has been a household name in the Indian motorcycle industry. Earlier this year, the sibling brand Jawa—both of which fall under the Classic Legends umbrella—revived Yezdi with cutting-edge technology.
Original Trade Mark Owner
The Karnataka High Court has determined that the “Yezdi” brand is owned by the now-insolvent Ideal Jawa India Pvt. Ltd. Co. and cannot thus be used on the new bikes from Classic Legends because it is under the jurisdiction of the office of the liquidator. In 1996, Ideal Jawa India Co. Pvt. Ltd. declared bankruptcy but retained ownership of the Yezdi trademark.
At that time, the trademark, along with all of Ideal Jawa India Pvt. Ltd.’s other assets, fell within the purview of the Liquidator’s office. As a result, the Liquidator’s office is the sole owner of the Yezdi name, which cannot be acquired by another party until all outstanding debts owed to Ideal Jawa India Co. Pvt. Ltd have been satisfied.
Regarding the Ideal Jawa Employees Association, it asserts that because their outstanding debts have not yet been paid, they should be paid off with the proceeds from the sale of all of the company’s assets.
All trademark registration certificates issued by the Registrar of Trademarks, Mumbai, Delhi, and Ahmedabad in favour of Boman Irani were deemed invalid and void by the Karnataka High Court, who also ordered the Trademark Registration Authority to transfer all such registrations to Ideal Jawa via the OL (Official Liquidator).
The Ideal Jawa Employees Association had submitted a second application to halt the trademark registrar’s registrations in order to sell them and collect debts owed by creditors, including the employees who have been waiting for decades to receive their compensation.
Boman Irani and Classic Legends have each been fined Rs. 10 lakh as a result of this, and they have been given 30 days to cease all business activity including the use of the Yezdi brand name.
The corporation is awaiting legal counsel on the order while it is on hold. The corporation plans to appeal the order soon in the hopes of obtaining a favorable outcome. Motorcycle production and sales will continue in the interim, subject to any orders issued by the Appellate Court.