Bombay High Court Rejects Plea To Restrain Serum Institute Of India From Using ‘COVISHIELD’ Trademark

The Bombay High Court refused to grant interim relief to pharmaceutical company Cutis Biotech and restrain Serum Institute of India (SII) from using the trademark ‘Covishield,’ for its coronavirus vaccine. A division bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and C. V. Bhadang said that the Nanded civil court’s order, refusing Cutis an injunction against Serum Institute was not “arbitrary or perverse” warranting the HC’s intervention. The bench added that restraining SII from temporarily using the trademark would have large-scale ramifications traversing beyond the parties to the suit. “That ‘Covishield’ is a vaccine to counter Coronavirus is now widely known. A temporary injunction directing Serum Institute to discontinue the use of mark ‘Covishield’ for its vaccine will cause confusion and disruption in the Vaccine administration programme of the State.”