TN's Nalli silks accuses Snapdeal of misusing brand

Snapdeal has been accused of using images of Nalli's products on its website without authorisation.

Online retailer Snapdeal, part-owned by Tata Sons chairman emeritus Ratan Tata, is locked in a bitter battle with traditional bricks-and-mortar sari store Nalli over intellectual property issues.

A-Nalli-showroom-in-Chennai

Alleging copyright infringement and gross violation of intellectual property rights, brand owner Nalli Chinnasami Chetty issued a cease and desist notice on June 11, asking the shopping site to refrain from using the trademark Nalli in search criteria or any other manner.

Confirming receipt of the notice, a spokesperson for Snapdeal said, “Snapdeal.com is an online marketplace which connects buyers and sellers to provide the widest assortment of products. We have received the notice from the company and will take appropriate actions as per law.”

The Tamil Nadu-based Nalli says Snapdeal has used images of its products without authorisation. A top official of Nalli told HT the images were likely to convey a false impression that the products displayed on the site were from Nalli.

Nalli, which began as a small shop selling saris over eight decades ago, has grown to become a `750-crore turnover company with 25 showrooms across 10 states apart from outlets in the US and Singapore.

“This is a deliberate attempt by Snapdeal to deceive the public to unjustly enrich itself by making buyers assume that the original Nalli silk saris are available on their website,” the Nalli official said. “We have only asked them to cease and desist and have not sought any damages,” he added.

So far Snapdeal has not responded to the notice. It has time till Friday to comply with the notice, failing which further legal action would be taken, the official said.