Delhi High Court orders Amazon to pay USD 39 million in landmark trademark infringement case

In a significant ruling, the Delhi High Court has ordered Amazon Technologies, Inc. to pay USD 39 million (approximately Rs. 340 crore) in damages for trademark infringement involving the well-known Beverly Hills Polo Club (BHPC) logo. Justice Prathiba M. Singh delivered the verdict on February 25, 2025, citing Amazon’s "deliberate and willful" violation of Lifestyle Equities' trademark rights.

The case centered on Amazon's use of the BHPC logo under its private label "Symbol," which the court found had resulted in financial losses for Lifestyle Equities, the trademark owner in India. The court determined compensatory damages at USD 33.78 million, with an additional USD 5 million awarded for increased advertising and promotional expenses. Taking into account the prevailing exchange rate, the total compensation was set at Rs. 336 crore. Litigation costs amounting to Rs. 3.23 crore (approximately USD 375,000) were also awarded to Lifestyle, bringing the total damages close to Rs. 340 crore.

Background of the Case

The legal dispute arose from Amazon’s alleged unauthorized use of the BHPC logo under its "Symbol" brand. Alongside Amazon Technologies, Cloudtail (a former Amazon-affiliated company) and Amazon Seller Services, which operates the online marketplace www.amazon.in, were named as defendants. Initially, the Delhi High Court issued an interim injunction in favor of Lifestyle on October 12, 2020, which was later confirmed on April 20, 2022.

As per court filings, Cloudtail admitted that products bearing the infringing logo were sold between 2015 and July 2020, generating approximately Rs. 25 lakh in sales. Despite legal representation for Amazon Seller Services and Cloudtail, Amazon Technologies did not initially appoint legal counsel, despite being part of the same corporate group.

On March 2, 2023, during the court proceedings, Cloudtail conceded to its involvement in the infringement. Consequently, the court imposed damages of Rs. 4,78,484, an amount that Cloudtail has since paid. Since Amazon Seller Services was only required to comply with take-down orders, the court removed it from the list of defendants.

Court’s Assessment and Ruling

Lifestyle presented ex-parte evidence against Amazon Technologies through five witnesses, including two fact witnesses, two market experts, and one expert on damages. The court itself posed questions to assess the reliability of the evidence.

Based on the submissions, the court found Amazon guilty of "deliberate and willful" trademark infringement. It determined that Lifestyle was entitled to lost royalties that would have been earned if not for Amazon’s unauthorized use of the logo. The ruling noted that Amazon was selling apparel under the infringing logo at significantly lower prices—between Rs. 300 and Rs. 400—compared to the original BHPC-branded apparel, which retailed between Rs. 2,500 and Rs. 4,000.

Justice Singh also highlighted the evolving nature of intellectual property violations in the digital age, referring to such cases as "e-infringement."

Legal Experts Weigh In

Commenting on the judgment, Sidhant Goel, Senior Partner at SIM AND SAN, Attorneys At Law, who represented Lifestyle, stated, "This judgment shows that if we as lawyers lead evidence to prove the damages suffered by a litigant, the Courts in India would not deter from passing substantive damage awards." He emphasized that this case marks the highest compensatory damages awarded in an Indian intellectual property dispute, surpassing last year’s Rs. 217 crore lost-profit damages awarded in a patent infringement case.

Mohit Goel, another Senior Partner at SIM AND SAN, described the ruling as a "watershed moment" in Indian trademark law, stating, "It has put India on the global map as a jurisdiction which enforces rights by granting damages. Key to the judgment is the evidence led in support of the damages award."

Representation

Lifestyle was represented by Senior Advocate Gaurav Pachnanda, along with a team from SIM AND SAN, including Sidhant Goel, Mohit Goel, Deepankar Mishra, Abhishek Kotnala, and Karmanya Dev Sharma. Avni Sharma from Mr. Pachnanda’s chambers also assisted in the case.