Reliance not in race to trademark ‘Op Sindoor’, says ‘junior person applied without authorisation’

At least 3 applications are currently in the race for the trademark under Class 41, used to trademark film/show names by production houses. Applicants include a retired IAF officer & a lawyer.

Courtesy: X\@adgpi

New Delhi: After India launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of Wednesday, at least three trademark applications have been filed for the title of the operation under Class 41 of the Nice classification, which pertains to education, entertainment and sporting/cultural activities.

While Reliance Industries was the first to file the application Wednesday, a statement issued by the company Thursday afternoon clarified that Jio Studios, a unit of Reliance Industries, has withdrawn the application, which, it said, was “filed inadvertently by a junior person without authorisation”.

The statement said that Reliance Industries has “no intention of trademarking Operation Sindoor, a phrase which is now a part of the national consciousness as an evocative symbol of Indian bravery”.

“Reliance Industries and all its stakeholders are incredibly proud of Operation Sindoor, which came about in response to a Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Operation Sindoor is the proud achievement of our brave Armed Forces in India’s uncompromising fight against the evil of terrorism,” it added.

An application was filed by one Mukesh Chetram Agrawal, with a detailed description, which includes arranging, organising, conducting and presenting concerns, live musical performances, entertainment special events, theatrical entertainments and exhibitions.

Another application has been filed by Group Captain Kamal Singh Oberh, a retired Indian Air Force officer, with descriptions including “entertainment, film production, cultural activities, web series production”.

Oberh told ThePrint that he had a movie and a documentary on the operation in mind, when he decided to file the trademark application.

“It was just a sheer coincidence that the day this incident happened, I was in Pahalgam, at the base of the mountain where it happened. I have seen how this one episode impacted the pulse of the valley, and whenever a major happening becomes a historic event, it needs to be documented in that manner, so that the coming generations understand what happened at the time,” he said.

Oberh’s lawyer Oovesh Sarabhai, who is an intellectual property rights attorney, told ThePrint, “The basic idea behind registering this name is to make a web series and a movie related to the events, which will increase sense of patriotism and national unity.”

Another application was filed by one Alok Kothari under Class 41 as well. Speaking to ThePrint, Kothari asserted that his idea behind filing the application was not commercial at all.

“The mission was a proud moment for India, and I knew that like movies like Uri, there will be a movie on this in the future. But I wasn’t sure how much of the benefit from those past movies actually went to war widows, and widows of paramilitary forces,” he said.

Kothari added that if given the opportunity or any profit through this filing in the future, he will ensure that the war widows and widows of paramilitary forces are given their due through it. “I will make sure they get their proper share, I will not keep a penny from this, if I get any profit out of it,” the Delhi-based lawyer said.

Class 41 is often used to trademark movie or show names by production houses or other companies.

Operation Sindoor saw the Indian armed forces launching precision missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including sites linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. The attack was in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April, which had left 25 tourists and one local Kashmiri ponywalla dead.

In response, the Pakistan National Security Council authorised its military to “avenge the loss of innocent” Pakistani lives at a “time, place, and manner of its choosing”.

This is an updated version of the report.

(Edited by Mannat Chugh)