Delhi High Court: In a suit filed by the plaintiff seeking relief of permanent injunction restraining the defendants from infringement of trade marks and passing off of their services as those of the plaintiffs along with other ancillary reliefs, Amit Bansal, J., stated that the long duration for which the RITZ and RITZ-CARLTON marks have been in use by the plaintiffs, wide geographical area of their use, their knowledge among the general public and their goodwill and reputation due to the extensive promotion, publicity and extensive revenue generated by the plaintiffs, in India as well as other countries, the RITZ and RITZ-CARLTON marks have achieved the status of well-known trade marks.
Accordingly, the Court declared the RITZ and RITZ-CARLTON marks as well-known trade marks within the meaning of Section 2(1)(zg) of the Trade Marks Act, 1999 (‘the Act’), in respect of hotels and other related services in the hospitality industry.
Background
Ritz Hotel Ltd. (‘Plaintiff 1’) owned the famous ‘The Ritz Paris’ hotel, which was established in Paris in the year 1898 and was now ranked amongst the most luxurious hotels in the world. Plaintiff 3 was the current owner globally of a family of the Ritz marks and ‘RITZ’ formative trade marks such as ‘THE RITZ HOTEL’, ‘RITZ PARIS’, ‘HOTEL RITZ’, ‘RITZ ESCOFFIER’ etc. (‘RITZ marks’). Plaintiff 1 assigned the RITZ marks to Plaintiff 3 in 2021, while Plaintiff 1 retained a license to use the RITZ marks.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. (‘Plaintiff 2’) owned the world-famous trade marks ‘RITZ-CARLTON’, ‘THE RITZ-CARLTON’, 
The RITZ and RITZ-CARLTON marks were widely recognized and known among Indian consumers, especially in the hospitality and travel industry. The plaintiffs have promoted their respective trade marks heavily and have been recognized and given multiple awards and accolades. In and around November 2023, the plaintiffs came across the website which, upon access, redirected users to another website, both of which prominently displayed the infringing ‘RITZ’ marks in relation to the defendants’ hotel services. Thereafter, the plaintiffs investigated the defendants’ business activities, which revealed that the defendants were operating under the infringing ‘RITZ’ marks.
The inquiries revealed that apart from the defendants’ social media presence, they were also advertising and offering for reservations their facility on third party travel platforms. It was further confirmed by the investigation that the defendants’ hotel using the infringing ‘RITZ’ marks was receiving negative reviews on the internet.
Thus, the present suit was filed.
Analysis, Law, and Decision
After hearing the counsel for the parties and examining the material available on record, the Court granted a decree of permanent injunction in the plaintiffs’ favour and against the defendants. Further, the Court issued the direction to the defendants to immediately discontinue the use of websites ‘www.thehotelritz.com’ and ‘www.ritz-hotels.com’.
Further, on the strength of the averments made in the plaint as well as the nature and volume of the documents placed on record, the Court stated that the plaintiff had established well beyond doubt that the marks ‘RITZ’, ‘THE RITZ-CARLTON’, 
The Court stated that the long duration for which the RITZ and RITZ-CARLTON marks have been in use by the plaintiffs, wide geographical area of their use, their knowledge among the general public and their goodwill and reputation due to the extensive promotion, publicity and extensive revenue generated by the plaintiffs, in India as well as other countries, the RITZ and RITZ-CARLTON marks have achieved the status of well-known trade marks. Accordingly, the Court declared the RITZ and RITZ-CARLTON marks as well-known trade marks within the meaning of Section 2(1)(zg) of the Act, in respect of hotels and other related services in the hospitality industry.
[Ritz Hotel Ltd. v. Hotel Ritz, CS(COMM) 8 of 2025, decided on 29-05-2025]
Advocates who appeared in this case :
For the Plaintiffs: Pravin Anand, Vaishali R. Mittal and Gitanjali Sharma, Advocates.
For the Defendants: Rishub Kapoor, Advocate.
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