HC stays infringement of Hitachi grill design

Our Corporate Bureau

Mumbai, June 6: THE Delhi High Court has granted a stay against infringement of the grill design of Hitachi air-conditioners. Amtrex Hitachi Appliances Ltd (AHA) had filed a suit in the court for permanent injunction against parties who have been manufacturing and selling the air-conditioner front grill with a design similar to the registered design of Hitachi. A press release from Hitachi said the Delhi High Court has granted an ex-parte ad interim injunction against the manufacture, distribution and sale of counterfeit air-conditioners using Hitachi’s registered front grill design and accordingly restrained the defendants from manufacturing, selling, offering for sale or otherwise dealing in air-conditioners containing the front grill which is similar to the registered design of Hitachi.

The court has also appointed two local commissioners to visit the premises of the defendents and make an inventory of the infringed goods. The commissioners found that the defendants were also manufacturing and selling grills of the same design under different brand names.

Hitachi has also filed a suit in the Ahmedabad civil court against Godrej GE Appliances for infringement of copyright of their design, a press note from Hitachi said and added that Godrej GE has been using this kind of front grill design for its air-conditioners introduced in 2001. The company in a press note has said that these imitiation front grills are being used by many manufacturers on their air-conditioners, thereby deceiving customers.

The grill has been specially designed at Hitachi design centre at Tokyo and developed in India by AHA to suit customer needs in India. It incorporates a unique removable suction panel for easy washing and cleaning to combat high dust deposition in India.