The Madras High Court has reserved its orders in a trademark infringement suit filed by Sangeetha Caterers and Consultants LLP, the owners of the popular Chennai-based restaurant chain ‘Sangeetha,’ against its former franchisees who now run a host of restaurants across the city under the brand name, ‘Geetham.’
Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy deferred his verdict after hearing the arguments advanced by senior counsel A.K. Sriram for the plaintiff and senior counsel P.S. Raman for the defendants. The judge also permitted the parties to attempt an out-of-court settlement before he pronounces the orders, and inform him if it fructifies.
Madras HC to decide whether former Sangeetha franchisees can continue to operate under the trademark Geetham
The judge wrote: “Both parties concluded arguments. Judgment reserved. Since parties have indicated that they would continue to endeavour to resolve the dispute amicably, both parties are granted leave to mention the matter in case they are able to reach a settlement.”
Mr. Raman told the court the chances of a settlement would be possible if the demand was somewhere around ₹3 crore and not a whopping ₹130 crore. Therefore, he requested the court to reserve its judgment and grant liberty to make a mention in case of a settlement.
