Abhishek Lodha moves HC to stop brother from using Lodha brand name

Macrotech Developers seeks a Bombay High Court injunction against Abhinandan Lodha's firm for using the 'Lodha' trademark, claiming damages of ₹5,000 crore.

MUMBAI: Macrotech Developers Limited, promoted by Abhishek Lodha, has approached the Bombay high court, seeking an injunction against the firm promoted by his younger brother, Abhinandan Lodha, from using the brand name ‘Lodha’ or ‘Lodha Group’.

Abhishek Lodha (left) and Abhinandan Lodha (right)

Macrotech Developers has also filed a plea for an interim injunction which will come up for hearing before the single-judge bench of Justice Arif Doctor on January 27.

The suit filed last week, seeking damages of ₹5,000 crore from Abhinandan Lodha’s real estate firm, House of Abhinandan Lodha, claimed that the brand names ‘Lodha’ and ‘Lodha Group’ were registered trademarks belonging to Macrotech Developers and no one else could use them. In the interim application, the company sought a restraint on the younger brother’s firm from using the registered trademarks.

Macrotech Developers, in its application, claimed that it was the flagship company of the Lodha Group, a leading real estate developer founded in the early 1980s, offering residential and commercial properties under the brand name Lodha. It further claimed that the plaintiff company was the proprietor of the trademark ‘Lodha’ and various other registered trademarks containing the name as the leading, essential and prominent feature.

The plea added that in April 2021, Macrotech Developers Ltd was listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) under the able guidance of Abhishek Lodha and the leadership team at MDL. Since the listing, the stock price has gone from strength to strength, with the current market capitalisation exceeding ₹1 lakh crore. The current share price (Jan 2025) is approximately ₹1,200, with the stock being part of the Nifty Next 50 Index as well as Futures & Options on NSE.

After its IPO, when the Lodha Group had started gaining in strength, Abhinandan Lodha launched a real estate business (plots). “He initially tried to use Lodha’s logo in his campaign but was stopped by Abhishek. Thereafter, he started calling his business ‘House of Abhinandan Lodha’ (HoABL). The Trade Mark Registry itself raised an objection that the ‘LODHA’ trademarks are same/ similar/ identical trademarks,” said the plea.

It added that while family members had tried on many occasions to make Abhinandan Lodha understand that he should do his own business under a separate name and not try to pass off as ‘Lodha’, he deliberately used this as a business strategy, and continued to make all efforts to confuse customers that HoABL was part of / related to Lodha.