In a significant judgment, the Delhi High Court has officially declared 'Ritz' and 'Ritz Carlton' as well-known trademarks in the Indian hotel and hospitality industry. These trademarks are owned by The Ritz Hotel Limited, a company based in Paris.
"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 trademarks,"
— Justice Amit Bansal, Delhi High Court
The Court’s decision came in a trademark infringement suit filed by The Ritz Hotel Limited against MS Hotel Ritz, a local hotel using the domain www.ritz-hotels.com. The defendant was offering hotel bookings through this site and third-party travel platforms, which the plaintiff claimed was misleading and unlawful.
The Court issued a decree under Section 2(1)(zg) of the Trade Marks Act, 1999, declaring the trademarks as well-known. It also examined the company’s Indian trademark registrations, long-standing reputation, public recognition, and extensive international operations.\
The plaintiff provided strong evidence including:
- Indian trademark registration certificates
- International and Indian media references
- Awards and recognition in India
- Domain name ownership
- Records of previous legal proceedings
These documents clearly supported the claim that 'Ritz' and 'Ritz Carlton' are widely known among Indian consumers and the industry.
“The Court found that all conditions mentioned in Section 11(6) and Section 11(7) of the Trade Marks Act were fulfilled by the plaintiff,”
— Delhi High Court Order
The Court also issued a permanent injunction, prohibiting the defendants from using the disputed domain and any other similar mark. They were ordered to immediately stop infringing activities and remove all references from online platforms.
This judgment safeguards the identity and integrity of globally recognized luxury hotel brands in India and sets a benchmark for protecting intellectual property rights.
“This case highlights the importance of reputation and goodwill in securing legal protection for brand names under Indian law,”
— Observation from the bench
Case Title: The Ritz Hotel Limited & Ors. v. MS Hotel Ritz & Ors.
Case Number: CS(COMM) 8/2025
Appearance: Mr. Pravin Anand, Ms. Vaishali R. Mittal, Ms. Gitanjali Sharma, and Mr. Rishub Kapoor, Advocates