NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has directed a private company named ‘Bada Business - An Initiative by Dr Vivek Bindra’ to cease and desist from using the name or photograph of founder and Executive Chairman of Dr Lal PathLabs Ltd for the promotion of their business.
“Upon a prima-facie view of the matter, the defendants are directed to forthwith cease and desist from using the name or photograph or likeness of the plaintiff in connection with the defendants’ business in any manner whatsoever,” an order given by Justice Anup Bhambani read.
Notably, Dr Lal Path Labs had accused ‘Bada Business - An Initiative by Dr Vivek Bindra’ for allegedly using the complainant’s name, likeness, photograph etc, representing to the public-at-large that the Dr Lal PathLabs founder Dr Arvind Lal is one of the ‘Bada Business Professors’ who will take lessons and deliver lectures for the 1-year Diploma course in entrepreneurship.
Dr Lal contended that his name was canvassed as one of the ‘Professors of Billionaire Blueprint’, and his case study had been cited as an example by the defendants; who have also held-out that Dr Lal would be teaching the Bada Business course at the GLA University in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
The counsel for Dr Lal submitted that upon the advertisements and promotional material having come to the plaintiff’s notice, the plaintiff caused to be issued to the defendants a cease and desist notice on February 8, calling upon them to stop their illegal actions and to stop using the plaintiff’s name and likeness and to stop making dishonest misrepresentations to the public-at-large; but to no avail.
A similar complaint was also given to the Delhi Police’s Economic Offence Wing on March 27 in the matter.
After hearing the argument, the Court directed the defendants are also directed to forthwith delete and take-down all advertisements, promotional material, statements, brochures etc., whether in writing or in pictorial form, from their website and from all their social media handles that claim or suggest any connection between the plaintiff and any of the defendants in any manner whatsoever.